Enjoy the Little Things
by CrimsonButterfly726
Summary: Just a bunch of short stories of the small untold adventures of Joel and Ellie Rated T for language and later on. In-game spoilers
1. Swmming Lessons

**Ok! So I haven't written really anything remotely good in years but after playing this game I got the will to try again. So yea this is the first thing I've written in quite some time so I hope you enjoy it!**

**I do not own anything from "Last of Us".**

**Also, I myself have on idea how to swim so I just have this as to what I kind of know. I might post a follow up to this Chapter but who knows. Anyways...**

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Joel had been scouting over the place for a couple of days now. He left in the early morning hours while Ellie was still fast asleep. He always found a couple of Runners here and there, along with a Clicker or two, but once he felt like the place was safe enough, he walked back to their base camp and laid out a change of clothes for the fourteen year old.

"Hey, come on, get up." He said quietly as he shook her awake.

Ellie groaned as she turned on her side, trying to get away from whatever was trying to wake her up from the semi comfortable sleep. But still Joel persisted until she opened one green eye and yawned.

"What the hell? What's wrong?" she asked as sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Get changed. You're gon' to learn somethin' new today." Was all Joel said as he left to give Ellie some privacy.

He sat outside, waiting as he reloaded a spare gun that he always kept by his side. He combed through that place and knew it was safe but it was just in case. The door creaked open and Ellie was standing there wearing black long shorts and dark red tank top. She had her arms folded across her chest as she glared at him.

"Ok I don't like particularly like shorts or shirts without sleeves. What are we doing?" Ellie asked but fell on unheard ears as Joel began walking towards their destination.

Ellie rolled her eyes and made an audible groan as she followed after him. It was quiet except for the chirping birds and the crunching of various objects beneath their feet. She looked around as they past many kinds of supplies and ammo and tried to mention to Joel that they were missing some pretty good stuff but once again was ignored except for the wave if the hand. When Joel finally stopped Ellie kind of bumped into him from not really paying attention anymore since they had been walking for what seemed like miles. She looked past him to see a small clearing overcast from falling building debris and growing foliage. There was pool of water ranging from shallow to very deep with an opening underwater which most likely meant there was another area beyond this.

"Ok that's nice but you forgot I can't swim right?"

"Well we're goin' to try 'n change that; you're going to learn how to swim today."

"Oh fuck no. I thought we were going to do this after we found the Fireflies. Doesn't this seem like we're wasting time?" Ellie shook her head as she looked toward the water again.

"We can't always assume that I'm going to find something to get you across, and what if there is no other choice but to jump into water? Besides, you can't be that scared over some water can you?"

Ellie shook her head nervously as she moved to the side.

"Of course not. Who's scared of some dumb old water anyway?" she asked as jumped into small part of the water that reached up to her knees.

She immediately regretted it as she let out a scream and ran back out of the water.

"Its f-fucking f-freezing!" she shivered while trying to hug herself.

"You're just going to have to deal with it." Joel said as he stepped into the water until he was waist deep in it. "Come on now, let's go."

"Why can't I just wear my jeans?" she rolled her eyes as she slowly stepped back in the cold water.

"You don't need any extra weight, especially when you're trying to learn."

When Ellie got as far as she was willing, she stood there shivering, waiting for Joel to say something or start doing something. He sighed and went to where she was and pushed her little farther out. Ellie groaned as she waited for Joel to get in front of her.

"Ok, the first thing you need to do is stop shivering. Put your head underneath the water and you'll feel a lot better."

Ellie looked down at her reflection and then back at Joel. She shook her head quickly, which made him sigh.

"Don't worry the water isn't the deep and I'll be here to make sure you're ok." He reassured her.

With that safety assurance underneath her belt, Ellie took in a big gulp of air and sat down in the water until her head was fully submerged. She came back up just as quickly taking in another deep breath of air. Her now wet auburn ponytail stuck to the back of her neck, while her teeth were starting to chatter.

"W-when does it s-s-start to f-feel better?"

"Once you start swimming around more, you'll get used to it." Joel chuckled, "Now you need to relax; you weren't even under for that long and I can you were already about to freak out thinking you were drowning. Let's just start with you being used to being underwater. I just take in a deep breath, go under and breathe out through your nose. Like this watch."

Joel moved out to deeper water, took in a breath of air and sank to the bottom while breathing out his nose, which looked like bubbles at the surface to Ellie. He was under for a long time to show her that this was how you stay under for a long time. When he finally came up, he wiped the dripping water off his face and held his hand out to Ellie.

"Ok, now you do it; I'll be right here if you feel like something is wrong." He said as Ellie grabbed hold of his arm let the water reach up to her chest.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath just as Joel had and went under. She let some of it out through her nose just as he said and felt herself sink lower into the water. She opened one eye to look around. There was nothing really spectacular about the view. Small debris was floating around along with some fish swimming through rusted pipes. She felt herself smile a little as she pushed her feet up to make her stand back up and into the surface. She moved the loose wet hair that was sticking to her face as she looked up to Joel.

"How did I do?" She half smiled, hoping to get some approval.

Joel stroked his short beard and nodded.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. So let's try something else. You'll never actually sink to the bottom as long as you remain calm; you'll always float if calm. I'm going to put you on your back and just have you floated a little like this, look."

As he swam even further out into the small pond of water he leaned back into the water until his whole body appeared on the surface. He floated there for awhile while looked up at the opening which showed a cloudless blue sky. He laid a lot longer than he meant to because he suddenly felt a splash of cold water hit his face and he sank under before coming back up. He looked around to find Ellie laughing and pointing at him.

"Thank God, I thought you died and forgot about me."

Joel mocked her laughter as he swam back to her.

"Ha ha ha. Now it's your turn." He motioned her over.

The first attempt at getting Ellie to float didn't go over so well. When Joel tried to put her on her back, the second she felt a small bit of water enter her nose, she splashed around in panic before Joel was able to calm her down. The second time went a little bit easier as Ellie managed to breathe slow and let her be carried by Joel, who she made promise that he wasn't going to let her go. He walked around with her for a few minutes before letting his arms slowly go to his sides and let her float off into the open water. As Joel watched over her he noticed the scratches on her arm. The scratch that should've killed her and turn her into one of those… things. Yet there she was, still healthy and still just a kid. Joel found himself chuckling under his breath.

"_I hope these Fireflies have the answers… if there are any left." _He had thought to himself.

"You know, this isn't half bad. This is actually enjoyable once you get used to it." Ellie semi-shouted out to Joel.

She opened her eyes to expect to see him still there carrying along the water, but he was further back waving at her.

"You fucker, you promised you weren't going to let go!"

Joel laughed as he raised his hands and shrugged.

"If I didn't let you go, you wouldn't know you could do it on your own. And look, you are floating all by yourself."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she tried to sit up without freaking out so much. Knowing that it wasn't going to go over well, Joel swam over to her and helped her go back to vertical. As the sun began to make its way across the sky, Joel spent the rest of his time teaching Ellie the bare basics of swimming; everything from a simple butterfly stroke to a doggy paddle. She tried her hardest to follow Joel's directions but sometimes he went too quickly making Ellie get frustrated. But Joel kept persisting that she keep going, for he was not sure when they were going to get another opportunity like this again. As the birds chirped and flew overhead against the now orange and red sun, Ellie doggy paddled her way to Joel as he waited patiently. When she touched the hand he held out for her, she high fived it and laughed.

"Haha yes! I am now a natural born swimmer." Ellie smiled as she floated on her back.

"Well I wouldn't call you a 'natural' yet but it's a start," Joel chucked as he too floated on his back. "When we get through with this I'll teach you more often. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan…" Ellie sighed as she stared up at the opening on the pond.

The sky looked like a mixture of red, orange, and pink. A few dark purple clouds scattered over the sky with the first starts starting to twinkle out. It was a perfect setting to Ellie as she floated along the still semi clear water. From the corner of her eye she saw Joel's moving body floating alongside her. She could use to this, she thought. When all of this was over and all they needed to do was just float on water seemed like a dream made in heaven. But that dream was short by the echoing sound of two clicks not far from them. Joel sat up immediately and took hold of Ellie's hand. They moved as quietly as they could to their shoreline as the lone clicker came into view on the other side. As soon as their feet felt solid ground, Ellie made a silent break for it as Joel picked up the few belongings he had with them and followed after her. Back at the base camp, they dried themselves off with old faded green towels and changed into dry clothes. Joel set up a small cooking fire while placed a silver pot of canned beans over it. Ellie laid her head on her backpack as she looked up at the roof.

"Well so much for that." She finally said.

"I could've sworn I got rid of them all… I'm sorry Ellie." Joel sighed as he mixed the beans.

"Don't worry about it; you managed to teach me something so it wasn't a total waste. And besides, I never actually thought swimming could be an enjoyable. But shit does it make you tired." She chuckled.

"Well after you eat something you can—

Joel looked over to Ellie who was already passed out on the floor sleeping soundly. He sighed but smiled a little as he moved a blanket over her. He continued to cook the food in silence as he watched her toss and turn.

"Hey Joel?" she mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Joel didn't respond but only chuckled under his breath as he sat there, eating his small dinner. He could only hope that the days were going to be better. Even under all the conditions they were under, he only hoped that there would be something to enjoy, even if it was the smallest of things. With that thought in mind, Joel left the fire going until it burnt out and fell asleep on the opposite wall to Ellie, who he wouldn't to admit to anyone else, was starting to grow on him.


	2. Jukebox

**UPDATE: In case anyone is curious about the song that was played, I just listened to "Some Nights" by Fun. over and over again until that was what ended up being the song.**

**Anyways, enjoy :)**

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"Oh what's this?!" Ellie said with excitement.

After driving for what seemed like miles, Joel decided it was time to give their only running vehicle a rest and stopped in what looked like an old diner. The building seemed sturdy enough to hold over the holey roof and they hadn't seen an Infected for quite some time. They unpacked what little things they had and immediately set up camp. Joel did the sweep of any stray infected in the building, while Ellie looked around to see if there was anything they could use for supplies; the same routine thing they did wherever they went. But halfway through her searching, she looked to find a large machine set up on one of the walls. It was covered in a layer of dust and had some of the glass broken that decorated around it. Inside of the machine showed what looked like records and underneath that were many buttons and a slot that looked big enough for a coin to fit in. When it was clear Joel scratched the back of his head as he wondered over to what Ellie was curious about.

"That's a jukebox… a broken one but…" Joel said as he saw it come into view.

"A juke-what?"

"It was this machine that played music throughout diners back in the day. I can't believe this place still had one. Too bad we can't listen to whatever was on it." Joel sighed as he wiped off some of the dust from the top.

"Hey, someone was here before us and hooked it up to a generator!" Ellie smiled as she a cord that lead from the back of the jukebox to a generator that was on the other side of the room.

Ellie's emerald eyes sparkled as she ran alongside the wire, and tried to power it up. It took some effort but she eventually turns it on with a loud rumble. Joel sighed as he looked outside one of the broken windows.

"E-Ellie try 'n keep it down."

But it she only ran past him to where the jukebox stood, now turned on. The lights were very faded and glowed dimly. But it was enough to make the fourteen year olds eyes glow with excitement. She pressed on the buttons that moved the covers of music like a book. She finally stopped on one that so much of a faded cover that it was impossible to tell what song it even was. She pushed many different buttons until she saw it move onto the small turntable and began to play. Her face made a confused look at she listened carefully. She then turned to her protector and guardian, who was picking up the items that Ellie found before getting distracted.

"Somethin' wrong?" Joel asked her when he noticed her facial expression.

"Do you know this song?"

"Nope. If you don't like it, change it." Was all he responded as he began to scout out the place for more supplies.

"Eh. Maybe it will get better. But so far this sucks."

2 Hours Later

Ellie had put on the same song again for what seemed like the hundredth time. She never moved past the first song she played. As soon as it was over she would press all the buttons until she saw it go back on the turntable. Her dark ponytail would bounce to the beat as her worn out sneaker tapped to the beat. That was after the first ten times. Joel began to lose count after the twenties. He sat on a long wooden table using the supplies he found to medical kits and nail bombs. Whenever he looked over to Ellie, was eventually jumping around to the beat, he just sighed and went to back to his work. Ellie eventually looked around to find a partially broken broom and began to mouth the words into it as she stood onto of one the bar tables that was adjacent to the jukebox. Joel found himself nodding a little to the beat but would shake his head as soon as he caught himself doing it. After making his supplies, Joel then started to use the spare he would along their journey to make a few upgrades on his guns. The song looped again and Joel raised his head up.

"Would you please put on a different song? Aren't ya tried of this one already?" he turned to see Ellie with a big smile on her face as she began dancing around to the song again.

He chuckled a little but was drowned out by the song. Their eyes met for a second and he noticed they were full of life and happiness for once. But he immediately regretted letting himself catching him looking at her for she ran over to him and grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"You are going to dance with me."

"You're funny; no I'm not."

Ellie pulled on his wrist lightly.

"Ellie, no; I don't dance."

She pulled on his wrist harder.

"No."

She glared at him and pulled with more force.

"Ellie I don't—

She pulled on his arm hard and managed to get him off of the bench and lead him to the middle on the room. Once he was standing, she began to tap to the beat while waiting for him to move. He scratched the back of his messy black hair as he looked around awkwardly, trying to find a way out of this. But Ellie wasn't going to budge. She moved lightly to the song, her eyes fixed on him as she waited. He sighed as he moved his hips a little but was off beat. Ellie stopped and put her hands on her hips. Joel shrugged as he tried to walk back to the bench but Ellie grabbed him again and put back in the same spot. She looked at him with pleading eyes and Joel suddenly remembered Sarah and how she would always try and get him to do silly things like this. He never got to do those things because he always worked in order to keep a roof over their heads. But it was different now. He didn't know if they were even going to live through the next day. But if they weren't going to, then he wanted to least have this memory in the back of his mind. He half smiled as he tapped along to the beat and moved better in time. Ellie's mouth opened with excitement as she began to move freely on her own started jumping around again. Joel laughed as he watched her eventually grabbed a hold on her hand so they could dance together. She spun her around several times and moved with her as they danced together until the song finally ended. They both fell to the floor laughing as the song changed to something softer. Ellie stayed there looking up at the ceiling until her eyes fluttered closed. Joel heard her even breathing and laid a thin blanket over her. He then moved a piece of hair out her face and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight baby girl."


	3. Target Practice

**I just wanted to say thanks for all the positive responses from you guys. It means a lot :D**

**Once again, I don't own anything from "The Last of Us".**

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"Joel, if we don't find any food soon, I think I'm just going to eat you." Ellie growled as she held her stomach.

"I know I know… We'll hopefully find something soon." Joel sighed as he ran both hands through his hair in frustration.

They had been walking through this forest for two days now and the only thing that came close to food was the remains of a deer that had mostly decomposed. They were both tired and their feet ached with every step. Joel knew that they were going to have to make camp somewhere soon as he looked up and saw the colors of the sky changing through the trees. He looked around to find a place that might be hold a clearing or somewhere they could sleep for the night. From the corner of his eye he saw a glimpse of a dark red t-shirt run past him, with rifle in hand.

"Ellie?!" Joel shouted after her as he ran to keep up with her.

Ellie's backpack moved in sync with her running until she stopped suddenly and crouched down in the dirt. When Joel finally caught up, she immediately pulled him down with her so he wouldn't scare whatever Ellie spotted away. He looked through the small bush they were behind to see a female deer, drinking from a shallow lake. Ellie put the gun up to fire and missed entirely. The female deer quickly looked up with her ears perked up and ran off in the opposite direction into the bushes.

"Damn it…" Ellie growled as she stood up and began to run after it.

"You know you're doing that wrong." Joel called after her.

"Shut up, no I'm not; I just missed it. I'll get it this time." She glared at Joel as she pushed forward.

They caught up to the deer in no time as it stood still in an open field. Ellie once again got the rifle ready and locked onto her target. But when she fired the gun strayed a little too much to the left and hit one of the nearby trees instead. The deer off again and Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Son of a bitch!"

"I'm telling you that you doin' somethin' wrong."

"Oh fuck off; I'm just a little off today. This next time I'll hit it for sure."

So once again Ellie chased after it with Joel not far behind. And once again the same thing happened. The deer was sight; Ellie tried to shoot and only scared it away again. A loud growl came from her stomach as she watched it run away. Joel sighed as he held his out.

"Will you just give me the gun so I can shoot it?"

Ellie practically threw it at him from frustration, but he caught it with one hand. Once he loaded another bullet he quietly followed the deer's tracks with Ellie sulking behind him. When they were a couple feet away from it he crouched down low to the ground. He put the butt of the gun into his shoulder and rested his cheek over it, while taking aim through the cross hair that sat at the top. He sucked in some air as he readied his trigger finger. Slowly breathing out, he pulled back the trigger and the deer fell back instantly. Joel put the gun down to his side and half smiled. Ellie looked from the now fallen deer to Joel and back with her mouth open wide.

"Dude how the fuck did you do that?"

"Come on, let's get our dinner before somethin' else does." He replied as he emerged from the shroud of foliage they were hiding behind.

"Hey wait no; you need to show me how you did that! You didn't even blink or flinch!" She shouted as she picked up the gun and followed behind.

"This isn't like the B.B. guns you used to shoot back in the Quarantine Zone. These have a hell of more kick and the slightest bit of movement can be the difference on whether you actually hit or not." He replied as he began to skin the deer and take whatever pieces they could carry from it.

He gave whatever he got from the deer to Ellie, who wrapped it up in the spare cloths they would find. Once they were done they left the deer for the other animals and began to walk forward while looking for a place to camp. Up ahead they saw a small farm that looked like it had been deserted for months. Infected walked around the property slowly while some stood still groaning and looking down to the ground. As much as Joel didn't want to waste ammo, it was the only place they had found for miles. He looked over to Ellie, who already had the handgun he gave her in her hands. She gave him a silent nod and they both moved towards the barn. Joel managed to take most of them out quietly, while his small partner shived most of them to death. Once it was all clear, Joel handed the rifle to Ellie and lead to the end of the wooden gate at the edge of the property. Ahead of them was nothing but open tall grass. Ellie looked at the gun and then to Joel who stood right beside her.

"Ok, the first thing you need to do is learn how to hold this right," Joel motioned to Ellie who was still looking up at him," "well do you wanna learn or not?"

"Right right sorry." Ellie shook her head as she quickly put the gun up.

Joel sighed as he moved the gun properly into Ellie's shoulder and pushed on it a bit hard.

"It always has to have this feeling when you hold it; got it?"

Ellie nodded as she looked straight ahead.

"Ok now tilt your head until you feel your cheek roll over the gun." He instructed.

She moved her head down, waiting for Joel to make any improvements. He only moved her head down until it was noticeable that her cheek was rolling over.

"Ok, can you see through the scope?"

"Yes."

Joel then moved her hands so they properly rested on the gun.

"Now breathe in slowly…"

Ellie diaphragm filled with air.

"And when you breathe out, shoot."

The loud bang from the gun sent the birds who near flutter out of hiding and into the blue sky. Ellie lowered the gun and looked over to her protector. He stroked his beard until he nodded to himself and told Ellie to wait there. He ran back to the barn as he looked for the materials he needed. When he found a discarded cardboard piece and a black marker that was partially faded he drew a makeshift target. He then jogged past Ellie and nailed it onto a big tree that was a couple hundred feet away. After he ran back beside her he directed her to try and shoot the bull's-eye on the target.

"If you do exactly what I showed you, you should hit it every time."

Ellie resumed her position and aimed the gun toward Joel's target. The first two shots fired were slightly off, hitting the second outer ring. Joel then got behind her and tightened up the gun against her shoulder.

"This here has to feel like a rock; Try again."

The next to shot were exactly on the bull's-eye. Ellie smiled with victory as she loaded the gun to try again. But as she was reloading an Infected emerged from behind the tree. It was walking slowly towards them, most likely trying to find the source of all the noise the gun had been making. Joel looked at the Infected and then smiled at Ellie.

"Think you can take that one out?"

She only moved into position as she made the stock hard against her shoulder and tilted her head to where she could see perfectly out of the scope. She took in air to make the gun still. When the cross hair right in between its eyes, she fired along with the release of breath. The infected jolted and fell flat on its back; Ellie raised her fist in the air in utter victory.

"Not bad." Joel remarked.

"Oh come on that was a perfect shot. It was so perfect that it deserves one up top." Ellie held her hand up for a high five.

Joel chuckled and high-fived her, which put a big smile on the girl's face.

"Well come on, let's cook some of that meat before it goes bad."

"Right behind you Joel."


	4. Puberty Gone Wrong

It was the middle of the night when it happened. At first she thought was a little stomach ache that would eventually pass over. But then the pain just got more intense with every passing minute. Her head began pounding and she felt like she was going to throw up. She slowly sat up and followed along the wall to a broken restroom at the end of the hall. She thought that once she did her business, she would feel better. But once she sat down and looked, her face drained with color as she looked around for some sort of answer as to why this was happening.

"Joel?" she called out.

But there was no response except for a loud snore. Ellie looked up in annoyance.

"Jooooel?" she called again.

No response.

"JOEL!"

She heard him wake up with start as he looked around to find what woke him up. When he didn't see Ellie, he sat up.

"Ellie? Somethin' wrong?" he called out to the darkness.

"Um, I think I have a problem."

She heard him stand up and heavy footsteps coming in her direction and immediately jumped up to close the door.

"No, don't come in here!" She shouted through the door.

"Are you hurt?" He asked with his ear to the door.

"Well… what do you mean by 'hurt'?"

"Are you bleedin' anywhere?" Joel rolled his eyes.

There was silence for a moment as Ellie looked at her situation and then to the door.

"Yes?"

"Your bite ain't acting up right?"

"No no that's fine."

"Well then what is it?"

There was a long pause before Ellie spoke up again.

"How old was Sarah when she… you know?" She asked her question carefully.

"Why?" Joel slowly responded.

"Well… did you ever have to have a 'talk' or a… 'Female incident'?" Ellie laughed nervously.

All color in Joel's drained as the realization of what she was trying to say dawned on him. He cleared his throat loudly as he scratched the back of his head. When Sarah went through this, her aunt took her out to get all the necessities she needed while Joel didn't want to hear a thing about it. But now he didn't have that luxury. If there was ever a time that he wanted Tess more alive, it was now.

"Joel?" he heard Ellie's voice sound worried.

"I-I'm here; what do you need?"

"See… That's the problem. I never actually had this conversation with my mom or Marlene. It was all about how to scout for supplies and how to avoid Infected… I guess this just fell last on the priority list. So your guess is as good as mine."

Of course it did, Joel thought to himself as he let his hand slide down his tired face. It was already late as it was and he would need to venture out to find whatever…supplies she needed. But he didn't to leave her sitting there by herself and unprotected nonetheless. But there was no other option.

"Y-you just wait here and I'll… I'll see what I can find." He called through the door.

Before he took a step back to retrieve this backpack he heard Ellie call out.

"Hey Joel? I'm not gonna die am I?"

Joel shook his head and put the backpack on.

"You're gonna be fine. Just hang tight, I'll be back." He responded as he shut the door behind him.

"Not like I have choice…" Ellie said to the empty air and sighed annoyingly to the ceiling when she felt the pain come back to her stomach.

Once he felt like the door was secure enough, Joel turned on his flashlight and started making his way toward one of the many houses in the big neighborhood they were in. Although there was a big doubt in his mind that there wasn't going to be some of those things lying around, he pushed forward. What did those things even look like anymore? He hadn't really had to go out a buy those since his wife… and then Sarah one time but… he suddenly remembered the many different types there were and his face drained of color once again. He needed to be cool about this. This shouldn't even phase after everything he's seen and endured; but this was girl issues not Infected. He shook his head and regain focus as he entered his first house. It only had two bathrooms and they were both pretty much destroyed. No matter, it was only the first one he looked through. How about house number two? He walked over to the next but who foundation had been destroyed. House three? The bathrooms were cleaned out. After walking to the end of the street he saw another house in decent condition. What number was this house now? Fourteen? He lost count. He did the same routine thing as getting in quietly and immediately checking the restrooms. But one again there was nothing but a half bottle of alcohol.

"Shit…" Joel cursed under his breath.

What if he didn't find anything? He couldn't just have her sit there for a few days until it was over… It seemed a little wrong and morbid in his mind. But he couldn't have her walking around like that. Becoming frustrated, he wandered around the halls and rooms until he stumbled upon what looked like a teenage girl's room. It couldn't hurt to look right? He looked in the drawers and in the closet but came up with nothing. When he decided to look under the bed was when he found a medium sized cardboard box with a faded purple flower print and a sticky note at the top that read:

"_Because every girl needs to have an emergency kit."_

When he opened the box, it was a half full bottle of pain medication and the items he had been looking for. Joel sighed with relief as he closed the lid of the box. There was enough to hold her over for this time and maybe even the next. He put the box inside his pack and snuck out the window of house. He sneaked past all the Infected wandering around and returned to camp. When he opened the door, he could hear whistling coming from the restroom. At least Ellie was still alright. After reading through her comics twice, she just started whistling whatever came into mind. Upon closer listening Joel recognized the tune from the song that they had played on the jukebox.

"Hey Ellie; I found the stuff you need for your… issue." He knocked lightly on the door with the box in hand.

"Joel? Oh thank God! Where the fuck have you been?" she cried as she opened the door just wide enough for her hand to fit through and grab the box.

"Well excuse me but that stuff wasn't lying around anywhere. You're lucky I even found that."

"How the hell…? Oh wait I get it now." He heard Ellie comment as she opened the box and tear through the smaller one that was inside.

Joel shook his head as he lay back down on the floor with a head on his forehead. He was tired and had enough adventure for one night. When he saw Ellie emerged from the bathroom, she laid the box next to her stuff. She stared at Joel and smiled.

"Thanks… Sorry you had to do that."

"Just… the next time you don't have that stuff it's on you; make sure you keep track of that stuff," Joel sighed as he closed his eyes, "And… you're welcome."

Ellie chuckled as she sat against the wall as she started whistling the song again. It was the last thing Joel heard before he drifted off into a peaceful dreamless sleep.


	5. Flying

**Finally got this one up. I would've had it up soon if it wasn't for work -.- Oh well.**

**This one has some mild spoilers? I don't know if they are really considered spoilers but nonetheless I'll put the warning out there. **

**MILD SPOILERS! ...I think**

**Hope you guys enjoy :) **

**As always I do not own anything from "The Last of Us".**

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The wind was whistling throughout the entire house. Ellie curled up the best she could in her blanket, but the noise wouldn't let her sleep. She eventually growled in frustration and sat up from the mattress Joel laid out for her. He slept on a worn out couch, snoring his way through the wind. She shook her head as she tried to go to back to sleep. She tried to remember the dream she had about the plane and flying but it didn't do anything good when she got to the part of it crashing. Her eyes would open wide again as her heart started to race. She would end up having to sit up again in order to calm herself. She wished that she could dream of flying on the plane without having a horrible ending. That's when a crazy yet wonderful idea popped into her head. Why she decided to actually go through with it was beyond her. Maybe it was lack of sleep. Or maybe it was the closest thing she would have to the feeling.

She slipped on her shoes, wandered up the broken stairs and climbed out of one of the windows. She placed her footing carefully as she climbed up on the roof. Once she was up there she sat on the beam that connected the two roofs together. She looked out to the night sky which held a bright full moon and many twinkling stars. She breathed in the fresh air as it blew past her. The fourteen year old rolled up her sleeve as she looked over her bite mark once again. No matter how many times she saw it, it was still hard for her to believe. She was bitten; and nothing happened to her. It had almost been two months now and all it looked like was a really ugly scar. But why was she immune and not her best friend Riley? Why is she the special one in this world that has turned to shit? She pulled her sleeve down when she started to feel goose bumps crawl up from the cold wind.

"Sometimes I wish I could just fly away. Maybe there is a place in the world that isn't infected." She said to the moon.

"I wander if you have an infected… If I were where you are, I could live that way… live up there and stare down at the Earth… but not by myself. Joel would come with me and we could be happy… And Tess would be there and Riley…" her voice trailed off as the wind blew harder.

"I wish I could fly… Just like the plane."

Ellie then, without thinking, stood up on the beam and faced the direction the wind blew most. She balanced herself carefully as she raised her arms to make a "T" shape. She then pulled off the long sleeve she always had underneath and let the wind lick at her skin. She closed her green eyes and smiled a little. She began to feel like the plane soaring through the sky. But it wasn't enough. As the wind picked up, she pulled out the black hair tie that held her loose ponytail in place. Her auburn hair flowed along with the breeze as she raised her arms up higher. The wind started to blow hard, making her balance shake underneath but she didn't care. Her smile got bigger as she imagined herself flying through the night sky overlooking the decaying cities and towns. She imagined herself flying over all the danger and getting to where they would find answers.

"I'm flying." She said to herself in a soft voice.

A few tears began to fall from her face, making the trail feel ice cold against the wind. She cried for her mother. She cried for Riley. She cried for Tess. She cried for Sarah because she knew Joel wouldn't anymore. Above her dark clouds started rolling in with dark intentions. They rumbled and crackled as they got closer. Ellie's eyes remained closed as she heard the noises, making her dream sky have an overcast of dark grey clouds. Joel finally awoke from his slumber from the sound of the thunder. He rubbed one of his dark brown eyes as they tried to focus.

"Ellie?" he asked groggily.

When he saw the empty mattress and discarded blanket thrown to the side, his brows furrowed as he looked around the room.

"Where did ya run off to this time…" he asked himself as he stretched to sit up. Bright flashes of lightning lit up the house from all directions as Joel wandered through each room half asleep. She wasn't reading anywhere… She wasn't in the restroom.

"Ellie?" he called out again.

A bright flash of lightning touched the ground followed by a loud crack of thunder. Joel began to feel worry as he wondered outside to see the dark clouds start to cover the moon, putting the earth in complete darkness. The wind blew more violently, making the weak foundation creak. He put a hand over his eyes to divert the wind away. He shouted for Ellie but the wind blew his voice in the other direction. He looked back towards the house to see Ellie balancing on the roof with her hands up, and eyes closed. She looked like a human cross on top of the house. He shouted her name as loud as he could but a strike of lightning hit a tree that was only a few feet away. The sound was loud and the light was brightest Joel had ever seen. He put his arm over his eyes to avoid being blinded. Ellie saw the flash from behind her eyelids and slowly opened them see the last glimpse of the lightning and the trees catch fire. The crack made her lose her footing and she tumbled off the roof. Joel lowered his arm to see Ellie rolling off. He sprinted for her as she held onto the edge with one hand. She tried to life herself up but the rain began to fall instantly and made it too slippery to climb up on her own. Joel looked up with his arms out stretched underneath her.

"Ellie! Let go!" he yelled over the now loud storm.

But she couldn't hear him. She could only focus on trying to pull herself up. Ellie could feel her slipping and looked down. When she saw Joel almost screaming on the top of his lungs, she let go from the roof the two story house. Joel caught her perfectly and held her tight as he felt relief come over him to have back on the ground. He pulled away from her and looked down at her with disappointed eyes.

"What the hell were you thinkin'?! You could've gotten yourself killed! What were you doin' up there?"

"I-I was… I was trying to fly…" Ellie looked down when she realized how stupid her reason was for being up there. Her eyes began to water from the corners but she tried to hide with the rain water.

"You were what?"

Ellie looked up with tear filled eyes which caught Joel off guard. Ellie never showed any kind of weakness whatsoever. She was always the smartass clever little girl no matter what time of the day it was. But now she was crying with no signs of stopping or hiding it.

"Joel? Why does everyone I get close to have to die?" she whimpered as she felt bigger tears falling from her face.

The man felt his already broken heart break more as he hugged Ellie tight in arms. He then picked her up and walked back inside the house to get out of the now pouring rain. Once they were inside, he sat back on the worn couch, with Ellie gripping on his shirt, quietly sobbing.

"Where is all this comin' from, hm?"

Ellie tried to steady her breathing before she answered.

"It's just with everyone I've ever known has either left me or died… I never wanted anyone to die because of me."

"Hey, none of that is on you, understand?"

"B-but if they never met me—

"You cannot blame yourself for things you can't control." He sighed when she stopped mid sentence from sobbing.

Joel stroked her wet hair as he rocked her back and forth like a small child… like they way he comforted Sarah from nightmares. He shushed her quietly as he rocked her, trying to get her to calm down. After a while the tears stopped and all that was left were small shaky breaths.

"Joel?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you… right?"

"It's going to take a lot more than a couple of bandits and Clickers to get the better of me." Joel half smiled down to her.

This made Ellie chuckle as she sniffled. She then got up from Joel lap and wrung out her hair.

"Well, that's enough emotional breakdowns for one night. I'm gonna change my clothes and get some shut eye. Don't wait up for me." She yawned and dug though her backpack for a change of clothes.

She probably didn't want to admit that she was scared and looked almost embarrassed of Joel seeing her like that. But she was still just a kid. The rain was still coming down hard and the roof began to leak in small areas. While Ellie changed in the other room, Joel himself quickly changed out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones. He eyes began to feel heavy from lack of sleep and lay back on the couch. As he felt himself wander off to sleep he heard movement beside him. When he looked down he saw Ellie who turned to other side, sleeping soundly. He just sighed and draped his only blanket over her. He didn't say anything to her about her rather being more comfortable on the mattress but let her stay there until the clouds disappeared and the morning sun rose from the broken buildings.


	6. Guitar 101

"Hey Joel, I think I found something you might like." Ellie called out from one of the many rooms of the broken motel they were forced to go through after their main path was crossed by it.

"What is it?" Joel stepped into the room her heard her voice coming from.

She laid it on the dusty broken bed and moved out of the way with her hands out like she was presenting a prize. It was a black basic guitar shaped case. While Joel did show signs of happiness, he was worried that there might not even be one in it or the strings might be broken. He unclasped the hooks on the case and opened it slowly. Inside was a guitar that was actually in pretty good shape. It was a basic acoustic, but looked so shiny and new compared to the rest of the room. The color was a little faded and the strings looked like they've been replaced several times, since the ends were sticking out every which way. He picked it up carefully out of its case and strummed on the strings. They all played perfectly in tune.

"That's awesome." Ellie noted quietly as she looked at it.

"Well this sure brings back some memories."

"Memories of what?" Ellie asked as she sat on the bed next to him.

"Some of my old high school days and some of this stupid dream I once had about what I wanted to be."

"Oh really? What was that?"

"It's not really that important anymore. Come on, we should probably find a place to set up camp for the night." Joel quickly dismissed her question and put the guitar carefully back in its case.

He left it on the bed as he stood up to walk out of the room. Ellie then picked it up by the handle with both hands and started following behind him. When Joel turned back he sighed and shook his head.

"Leave that here."

"Wha-? Why?"

"Because we can't risk wastin' our spare room for things like this; it'd be nice to have but we can't. Put it down and let's go."

Ellie looked down as she placed the guitar case on the floor next to her and followed Joel out of the room, like she was told. Joel decided it was time to set up camp outside for a change. They had been sleeping inside broken down houses that he almost missed sleeping under the stars. They set up not too far away from the motel, mainly because it took them the rest of the day to find their way out. As Joel set up the fire and began to cook some of the rabbits Ellie had caught earlier that late afternoon, he noticed that Ellie had been gone for a very long time. She excused herself saying she had to go relieve herself, but she should've been back by now. Joel stretched his neck up to see if he would spot a small silhouette in the distance. Did she get lost? No, she's not that stupid. What if her "issues" struck again… how long has it been since the last—Joel quickly shook his head as he tried to get the awkward question out of his mind. When he finally heard grass being crushed from behind, he turned his head to find Ellie who was holding the guitar case in her hands. Joel's widened a bit as she smiled shyly.

"How did you…?"

"I know you said that we needed to make use of what little room we had but when we really didn't find anything I didn't see why I couldn't go back and get it."

"You know you coulda been killed?" Joel sighed.

Ellie rolled her eyes and put the case down.

"Come on, you can't give me a 'thanks Ellie'? And I was fine, I can take care of a few by myself." She replied as she pulled out a pistol from her back pocket.

"Give me that! I never said you could start carryin' a gun." Joel snatched it away from her and put it in his backpack.

"You know a little appreciation would be nice!" Ellie shouted as she threw her hands into the air.

"Just fucking forget it." She shook her head as she walked past him and sat in front of the small fire.

Joel let out a heavy sigh as he walked over to pick up the case and set it beside him. As the sun to slide under the horizon to make room for the moon was set in awkward tense silence; Joel ate his rabbit quietly, while Ellie turned away from him, chewing on hers in little pieces. When it was time for them to sleep, Ellie just grabbed her backpack for her pillow and lay facing away Joel. He just rolled his eyes at her little tantrum.

"I really hate this crap…" he muttered under his breath.

He then looked over to the case that hadn't been touched since Ellie brought it back. He sighed as he pulled it closer to him and unclasped it. He then pulled it out and looked it over. He hadn't seen one since the owned twenty years. He strummed the strings once with his thumb. It was horribly out of tune; Joel started turning the tuning keys at the top, while strumming the string several times until he knew it sounded right. He did this with all of the strings until when he strummed again it was perfectly in tune. He then sat it better on his lap and looked down the neck of the guitar as he placed his fingers on different fret boards and strings. He would play one chord and then another one right after that. He missed the sweet sound of a guitar as it brought him back to happier times. After a few moments of remembering everything he knew, he began to play random notes and chords that sounded like a song. He closed his eyes as he let his fingers go with the flow of the music. Ellie opened her eyes as she heard the sound of the instrument being played. She smiled a bit as she listened to Joel's playing. When she turned to her side to face, she noticed that there was peace on his face, which seemed foreign at first. Normally he has a stern tense look all the time, but now he just looked…happy. The fourteen year old sat up and nodded her head slowly to the beat of the melody. When Joel stopped for a moment, he heard a slow one person clap.

"I didn't know you played that good." Ellie smiled.

"I-I'm not as good as I used to be. This is all that I can remember." Joel said while scratching the back of his head.

"Do you think you can teach me a thing or two?" She asked as she moved to sit next to him.

Joel shrugged as he handed her the guitar. After helping her position it right on her lap, he moved her hands correctly on the guitar. She strummed the strings once with her thumb and a small smile formed on her face. He then showed her where to place her fingers on certain parts of the neck in order to play a chord. But when she strummed it sounded off key and dull.

"You need to make sure you hand isn't covering all of the strings; push down harder with your fingers." Joel instructed.

When she strummed again the chord came out loud and clear. Her eyes lit up as she looked to Joel for how to play the next chord. They went at this for hours until the moon was high in the sky. They lost track of time and the need that they should really sleep but the guitar just kept passed between the two of them. It was the first time that they didn't think of the world crumbling around them or the people they had lost. They didn't think about how there wasn't a roof over their heads or that they had a decent meal since the outbreak. All they thought about was what the music sounded like and how happy they both seemed to be. As the morning sun started creep up on Joel and Ellie, they were passed out on the ground, with the guitar on Joel's right side and Ellie curled up next to him on his left. They slept through the first rays of light and the morning bird's singing and dreamed about guitars and how for once, things didn't seem so bad.


	7. They Were Our Friends Too

**Hooray for another! **

**Now this one really does have MILD SPOILERS! Read at your own risk! If you haven't met Henry and Sam then avoid this one until you do, and I mean when you get to the FALL segment of the game! Ok, I warned you so don't blame me for anything at this point.**

**This is another one that is on the emotional side but I always wondered what they did right after this happened.**

**Enjoy :)**

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The gunshot still rang loud in their ears. The two pools of blood slowly mixed to together on the floor as the two brothers, their two new companions lay dead on the cold ground. Ellie's eyes were open wide from fear and shock, while Joel stood there motionless with his hands still shaking. He wanted to get Ellie out there but neither could look away. Her shaky breaths sounded loud and clear from the intense silence that was beating down on them.

"Oh my God…" Ellie whispered to herself again; it had been the only thing she could say since she saw that horrific scene.

Henry and Sam were motionless as their blood mixed into a darker crimson, almost appearing black under the rays of light that shined through the windows. Sam died an Infected; Henry couldn't live with the fact that he just murdered his brother, even if it was to save Ellie. At least that's how Joel liked to see it. He finally managed to let out his breath and looked down. There was nothing they could've done he told himself. He reached down for both his and Ellie's backpack and held a hand out to her.

"Come on; we're getting' out of here." Joel said firmly.

"What about Henry and Sam?" Ellie asked immediately as she took his hand and stood.

"There's nothin' we can do; we should get a move on."

"Wha- we can't just leave them here like this!" Ellie pulled her hand back.

"Ellie—

"No fuck that! They deserve to be buried or something! Not just damned to rot here!" She shook her head quickly.

"Ellie we don' have time to for this."

"Yes we do! I'm tired of leaving the people I care about on the ground without a second thought! They deserve more than this!"

"We don't even know these people!" Joel finally raised his voice.

"Maybe not but they still saved our lives! They were our friends!" Ellie shouted back.

"They were not our friends!"

"I considered them my friends!"

"What the hell do you want from me, huh?"

"To admit that you're sad and not run away from the damn problem; I know that it was hard for you to lose Tess—

"Stop…" Joel said quietly as he felt a tug at his heart.

"And I don't know what happened to you or that Sarah girl you keep mumbling about in your sleep—

"Stop." Joel said a little louder; Ellie was starting to walk on thin ice.

"But you should stop leaving them abandoned in death and give them a proper send off—

"STOP!" Joel shouted, banging his fist on the nearby table.

Ellie finally closed her mouth and jumped from the loud noise. Joel glared hard at her until he sighed heavily and scratched the back of his scruffy hair.

"I'm going out for a walk. Do whatever you want."

With that, Joel opened the door with a hard swing and walked into the morning humidity. Ellie made a loud noise of frustration as she lightly banged her fists against her temples. She wanted to throw something at him… But she knew that she crossed a line; Joel had made it clear that they were to never bring up Tess… ever. Ellie looked down at the two bodies and went to work. She looked throughout the house to find two towels to drape over her friends and whatever else she could find to clean up the blood. There was a lot more than she had expected; as she tried to soak it up with one of the few towels she had on hand, it would just make the puddle expand and travel further out across the area.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick." She said to herself as the heavy metallic scent started to enter her nose.

It took several trips of soaking up and wringing out the towel before there was nothing just a faded imprint of where the blood once was. Ellie then grabbed the last two towels she had and draped them over her friends carefully one by one. Sam was first. Although he had just turned, his face had already changed. There were small boils that spotted on his cheeks and neck, with dark blue veins popping out where the boils formed. His lips were chapped and almost white. His were open with nothing warm inside; they were cold and lifeless with a small haze going over the color that clashed with the white that had gone bloodshot. Ellie swiped her hand over to shut them forever.

"I'm sorry Sam; I wish I could've saved you; but at least I can do this." She whispered as she draped the towel over.

Henry was next and he was the one that saddened Ellie the most; he chose to die. He would rather follow his brother in death than stay in this shithole… She couldn't blame him. He didn't look any different from when he was alive, other than the hole that was now in his head. He lay on his stomach, so she couldn't see his face, and honestly, she was happy she couldn't.

"I hope you find your brother again; for your sake, I hope Heaven is real…" She sighed as she draped over the towel, as she recalled the conversation they shared just last night.

Meanwhile, Joel walked through the empty littered street, trying to calm himself. He didn't mean to raise his voice but she just wouldn't leave it alone. It had been years since someone had brought up Sarah. Then again the only people who really knew about her were his brother Tommy, and Tess. He knew that Ellie had a point. But he just didn't want to go to that place he was once in, that took him nearly these twenty years to crawl out of, even with Tess by his side. As he walked along, he noticed something poking out form the corner of his eye. It was a gravesite with a shovel sticking out from the top. Joel's eye wandered back over to the house and he pulled the shovel out form the dry dirt.

"This should do fine." He noted as he walked back with the shovel in his hand.

When he opened up the door, he noticed Ellie's handy work as she sat up against the wall with her eyes closed as she tried to tap to an imaginary beat.

"Ellie?" he called out quietly.

She opened her eyes which looked slightly pink as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. Looks like she had been crying again, Joel thought to himself.

"Hey." Was all she said.

"So, I found this here shovel… I thought we could use it to bury our friends out back." Joel pointed to the back door.

"Okay." The small girl stood up and opened the door.

They spent the rest of the morning taking turns in digging holes. Once Joel thought they were deep enough, he carried the bodies with Ellie's help and placed them as carefully as they could into their resting place. As they were finishing sealing them up, Ellie constructed two wooden crosses that they put at the top of the mounds. They started at them in silence until Ellie finally spoke while twiddling her thumbs.

"Hey… about what I said earlier—

Joel stopped her in midsentence.

"We don't bring them up after this. I don't want to hear about it, you understand?"

Ellie raised her hands above her head and sighed. She was tired of this argument with him. She'll get him to talk about it one day. She nodded her head as Joel stood up and stretched.

"I'm gonna see what supplies might be left over."

"I'll be right there."

As she watched him walk back inside, Ellie dug through her backpack to find the toy she took for him back in Pittsburgh. She wanted to lay it on his grave, as a symbolic gesture. But she didn't want to let it go; she wanted something to hold onto the one friend she has made since Riley… She put it back in her backpack as she looked back at the graves one last time before joining Joel inside the house, where she waited from him to start walking to their next destination. Maybe she'll get rid of it later… But until then it sat at the bottom, underneath all the supplies she carried.


	8. Rain Dance

**Hello hello! :) **

**So after writing that last depressing chapter and a depressing Riley story, it's time for some cute light hearted snippets. I would've had this up sooner but like always, work like to keep me all hours of the day -.-**

**But anyways, thanks for all your support. It makes me all happy inside :D**

**Again I own nothing... unfortunately.**

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This had to be the hottest day summer has had all season. The grass and leaves on trees looked like they were melting under the intense heat. As they walked down a hill, the heat waved in the distance was so distinct it looked like interference on a television. They had been walking in this heat for hours and were practically sweating off their clothes. While Joel was used to harsh conditions when he did runs with Tess and the weather back in Texas, even this was making him tired and grumpy. His sleeves were pushed up as far as they were able without it ripping. Ellie on the other hand wasn't used to any kind of intense heat. She had put her hair up in the highest pony tail she could before it just fell back to where it originally was. She had rolled up her black long sleeve and threw it in her backpack, leaving her only in her red t-shirt. Her mouth felt like she eaten cotton as she sacked her lips together. She had never felt so thirsty in her life. She started walking slower behind Joel as the feeling of her jeans started to feel unbearable from all the sweat that was rolling down her back.

"Joel… how much further?" she asked annoyingly.

"There should be a town up ahead soon. Let's just keep movin' and we'll get there soon."

That's what Joel had told her an hour ago. And the hour before that. And the hour before that. But so far there hasn't been a sign of any kind of city of town except for the occasional burned down farms. To make matters for the two, all the trees were dried, making no shady trail for them to walk under. They were both started to grow tired and dehydrated from the sun beating down. After another hour of walking, Joel finally caught a glimpse of buildings. He turned his head to Ellie who never looked so relieved in her life. They picked up their pace until the buildings towered over them. Joel looked around some of the buildings and alleyways first to make sure there weren't any bandits or thieves that had may have claimed this town as theirs. But it was completely deserted. He motioned Ellie to come out of hiding as she ran for the first shop with a stable roof over its head.

"Thank God!" she yelled as she instantly felt the temperature change on her arms.

While it felt just as hot as it did outside, it felt a lot better than having the sun beating down on their heads. Joel dropped his backpack down next to Ellie's and sat down next to her, who was laying on an old rug, staring at a broken ceiling fan. The air stood still and it felt almost hard to breathe. Joel ruffled his scruffy hair and yawned loudly.

"Let's just rest now and move later when the sun goes down."

"Isn't that…risky?" Ellie asked without turning her head.

It's true; they normally hid at night since that was the most active time for bandits and the Infected. But they didn't have a choice; they didn't have nearly enough water for both of them to last the rest of the day and their supplies were running low on top of that. And with the sun being that hot, he feared that Ellie might get into some serious trouble before he did.

"We don't have a choice; just try 'n get some sleep."

"Yea ok Joel, I'll go to sleep in a pool of my own sweat like a fluffy cloud." Ellie smiled sarcastically.

Joel let out an annoyed sigh as he pinched the corners of her eyes with his thumb and index fingers. He did not have the energy for her attitude for now. He lay down on the floor as Ellie stood up and looked around the building. It looked like the remains of a convenience store. Most shelves were stripped clean minus the thick layer of dust that coated them. There had to something worth salvaging in this dump. When she turned to him, he was already asleep, lightly snoring. Ellie laughed quietly as she shook her head.

"Well then, while you slack off…"

She walked through the surprisingly many aisles the store had to offer. There wasn't anything entirely special; half a bottle of alcohol here, a few scraps of cloths there. There were a few bottles of half empty pain pills and basic cough medicine. Ellie stuffed these things in her bag; something told her that this stuff may come in handy soon. When she wondered off into the women's section of the store, she saw faded boxes for hair dye and bottles for who knows what. There was even an opened bag of "supplies" that were just for her. There weren't many but they would come in handy

a long way. She put those special items at the bottom of her bag. After looking through the pharmaceutical section of store, Ellie found a small stand for books. Her face lit up as she ran up to it. But her brows furrowed as she read through the titles… or at least tried to. All the titles were written in Spanish or the books were too faded.

"Well so much for that…" she said to herself.

A loud snore came from the front of the room, making Ellie laugh again. She was glad to have him there with her. It made her feel safer, like everything was going to turn out fine. In the corner of the store was something she had never really seen before. She's heard of them from the community she was in once or twice, but never thought they were true. The history kids learned before the Outbreak just seemed like stupid tales to her. There were some dream catchers with now colored woven strings and messed up feathers. Porcelain dolls of Native American children were covered with dust or were broken across the floor. There was a small log with a band around it that might've been colored at one time. She picked it up and it felt heavier than she thought. It sounded like there were small beads rolling around, so she turned it over, making all of the beads fall to other side, making a similar noise to how heavy rain sounds on a roof. Rain… it was the one wish Ellie wanted so badly to come true. Next to the log was a book with the cover tore off. She flipped through the pages to see that it was book on the traditions and customs of these people form so long ago. She raised an eyebrow and scoffed at it as she put it back.

"Yeah right… like dancing around will suddenly make rain clouds appear, of that this… 'rain stick' will make it rain." She said.

That was the last interesting thing in the store and Ellie went back to the spot where Joel, with the rain stick in her hand. She sat and turned it over again and again, listening to the imitated sound of drops falling on a wooden surface. The heat never got any better as the hours dragged on. She knew it was probably best to get some sleep but she couldn't; she was wide awake. As her boredom became more and more daunting on her, she growled and picked up the book she had been reading earlier. When she flipped to the right page, she read it more closely as she lightly imitated the movements that were drawn on the page. She felt absolutely ridiculous but it was something to kill time. As she kept dancing around in the corner of the room, the small clouds that were dotting around the bright blue sky were starting to get thicker and turn grey. An hour later a few started covering the sun as Ellie turned the stick over and over again until all the beads were at an opposite end.

"Come on stupid stick. Use your stupid voodoo and make it rain." She glared at the stick.

"Great, I'm so hungry and hot; I'm talking to a fucking stick." She sighed as she threw it to a corner of the store.

During all her hours of not paying attention to the outside, the clouds grew bigger and bigger until they completely covered the entire sun. When she noticed a change in light was when she looked out the shattered window and wondered outside. The sky had looked all kinds of different colors of grey as the low sound of thunder could be heard in this distance.

"No fucking way…" Ellie laughed in disbelief as she saw the sky.

It was starting to feel even hotter from the now humidity that clung to the air, but she could smell the rain. With one more clap of thunder was when the first drop hit her face. Than another, until all of it came pouring down on her. She smiled widely as she yelled out in victory, which caused Joel to wake up with a start.

"Wh-what's goin; on?" Joel looked around as his eyes adjusted; the smell of fresh rain entered his nose as he saw Ellie dancing around outside.

He walked to the entrance of the door and kept himself out of the rain as he yelled out to Ellie.

"Ellie?!"

"I'm a fucking genius! I am a rain goddess!" she yelled to the grey clouds.

"What?!" Joel replied confused.

"I read this book about how to make it rain and played around with stick and it fucking worked!" she smiled widely.

Joel immediately knew what she had read and shook his head. Rainstorms always come at the random from just changes in the atmosphere, not because some little girl wished for it hard enough. But for some reason he didn't want to tell her that. She looked so happy and relieved that he didn't want to take that away. Every smile she has was the only glimmer of hope he had that things were going to be alright. He stepped out into the rain and immediately felt the relief of his body cooling down. Ellie had pulled her hair out from the hair tie and shook her head around as she jumped from pure joy. Joel laughed as he looked up and outstretched his arms. They stayed playing and dancing in the rain until the last drops fell to the earth.


	9. Smores

**Quick note: Before reading this, just step away from the realism for a moment and just enjoy the Joel and Ellie father/daughter cuteness! :3 **

**And again, thanks for the support :)**

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When Joel had warned her about it going to get increasing cooler as the days went by and the places they would cross over to, she thought he was just bullshitting. As the summer heat came to an end and the colors of the leaves were starting to change, Ellie had at first refused to find a jacket for the upcoming fall. She thought she could handle it; after all she was a fourteen year old badass with a power to save mankind and control the weather… well that's what she liked to think anyway. It wasn't until one night when the fire wasn't as big and warm did she realize that it might be in best interest. It didn't take long for Joel to find something for her as he handed her a purple and grey striped jacket that fit her just right. She never told him thank you out right but Joel knew she was grateful from the way she smiled. The first few weeks of fall were quiet with nothing dramatic or traumatizing. They found supplies, slept outside, and killed the Infected that stood in their way. Ellie would keep her nose in the comic Joel would find her along the way, while he keep a look out for the next place for shelter, or the next route to Tommy's.

But during the past few nights, Joel had been in an increasingly good mood, which was strange to Ellie, considering he was always so quiet and melancholy all the time it seemed. Whenever they passed by stores for supplies, she always saw him stuffing something inside his backpack with a small grin on his face. She's tried asking him several times what he was up to, but he never answered and just told her that they needed to keep moving. It was finally on this afternoon, as they were looking for supplies to make nail bombs in an abandoned Zone, was when she caught something that looked white and fluffy being put into his pack.

"Aha! What are you hiding?" She pointed at him.

Joel looked up suddenly and then back down to his bag. He sighed as he zipped it up.

"You just don't like secrets don't you?"

"Nope; now tell me."

"What was the best thing you ever tasted?" he asked suddenly, catching Ellie off guard.

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

Joel chuckled as he slung his backpack over his shoulders.

"I thought so; well you'll find out tonight; let's get a move on."

Ellie simply nodded and followed him outside to where they found a spot outside to camp for the night. The suspense was eating at Ellie however, almost like the many mosquitoes that tried to bite at the only open areas of bare skin. Joel was taking longer than usual it seemed with gathering the firewood or setting up a large tent they had found back in the Zone.

"Oh my God, how much longer are you going to take?" Ellie asked with her arms folded over her chest.

"Ellie, go find us somethin' to eat will ya? Looks like this tent is goin' to be fussy." He motioned over to the bow and set of arrows.

"Okay fine, but then will you tell me what it is you're up to?"

"Yes, yes, now hurry up before it gets too dark." Joel chuckled as he messed with various parts of the tent.

With that thought in mind, she quickly grabbed the bow and arrows and ran off into the forest. She was tired of him beating around the bush. As she went into the thicker areas of the forest, Ellie went through the hunt rather quickly, shooting every squirrel and rabbit that came within her sight. Poor things; they never stood a chance. As she laced them up by their necks by a rope, she slung the last ones over her shoulder, she walked back to the warm glow of the fire, where Joel sat there tending to it. The tent was finally up and looked pretty good considering the trouble he looked like he was having before she left. She sat down her bounty next to him, which made his eyes open bigger and laughed.

"Wow. Well this should last us for a few days. Nice job Ellie."

They cooked their food in a comfortable silence as Joel turned the rabbits over and Ellie was whistling something she couldn't remember the name to. Joel handed her the first fully cooked rabbit while he grabbed the second one. She chewed on hers in small bites, while staring at Joel the entire time. He was eating normally occasionally looking over to Ellie whose emerald eyes stared at his face until he got so uncomfortable that he put his rabbit down and stared back.

"Whaddya want?" he said with a happy sarcastic voice.

"Could you eat any slower?"

Joel picked up the rabbit slowly to his mouth, mocking her question. Ellie threw what was left of the eaten rabbit at his shoulder. Joel laughed as she glared at him and until he raised his hands up in surrender and pulled her backpack next to him.

"Have you ever heard of smore's Ellie?"

"Smo-wha?"

"I figured not." Joel laughed at her response as he pulled out some items out from is pack.

He pulled out a bag of what looked like fluffy white cylinders, a dark blue box that read 'graham crackers' in gold letters, and a few bars of whole and half of chocolate. Ellie raised an eyebrow at Joel's items and pointed to the first thing he had pulled out.

"What are those?"

"Marshmallows?" Joel responded like it was obvious, "Don't tell me you've never had one of these."

Ellie bit the side of her lower lip as she looked to the side, feeling slightly embarrassed from Joel's question. But it wasn't her fault. The Zone she lived in before this didn't have anything like that, just the chocolate. Joel opened the wrinkled bag and handed one to her. She took it and looked it over as she squeezed it lightly between her two fingers. It felt powdery and squishy. She then popped it into her mouth and chewed slowly. The powder clung to the roof of her mouth and the back of her front teeth while the white substance turned gooey and stuck in the corners of her mouth. It was an interesting flavor unlike anything she's ever tasted, but it was sweet and she smiled.

"They taste even better when toasted." Joel noted as he stuck his own on a stick and hovered it over the fire.

"So, what's a smore?"

"Basically, a Toasted marshmallow, a thing of chocolate put together between two graham crackers. Me and Sarah always ate these when we went out camping together." Joel explained as he stared at his golden marshmallow.

He had never talked about Sarah so calmly before which made Ellie's eyes open wide. Not wanting to ruin the sudden heart-to-heart moment, Ellie grabbed another marshmallow, stuck it on a stick like Joel had, and put it over the fire. There was now an awkward silence between them as Joel stared into the fire deep in thought as he remembered some of the memories of camping trips he had had with his daughter. He was pulled out of his trance when Ellie pulled away her marshmallow, which was now on fire.

"Ah shit!" she cursed as she tried to blow away the small flames.

The marshmallow was now charred and looked like a piece of coal. Ellie rolled her eyes as she quickly pulled it off and threw it into a bush behind her. Joel handed his golden one to her and then gave her the rest of the ingredients. He gave her two crackers and a square of the chocolate.

"Now just put it together like a sandwich and eat." Joel instructed as he put another fluffy cylinder over the fire.

Ellie did as she was instructed and constructed the smore. The marshmallow slightly coated over the chocolate, making it ooze over the sides. She took a bite and chewed slowly to get the most out of it. It tasted amazing. The mixture of cinnamon and chocolate mixed with the taste of the toasted marshmallow tasted like something out of heaven. She took bigger bites until it was just a bite sized gooey mess. With the last bite, she savored it and licked the remaining melted marshmallow off her fingers. Joel looked over as he ate his normally. Her face looked as delighted as a child on their birthday. This was going to be as good as it gets for her. Yet she looked content with it. He pushed the bag over to her and she stuck another one over the fire, this time looking the same golden brown Joel's was. As he watched her make another, Joel laughed as he ate just the marshmallow.

"So I take it that you like them?"

Ellie nodded her quickly, making her ponytail dance behind her.

"Thes' thin' ar' fuckin' amazin'" she replied with her mouth full.

Joel smiled as shook his head. He looked back into the fire and could feel himself slipping back into his old memories; both the good and the bad. He knew what happened to Sarah wasn't his fault, but still he felt like it should've been him to die, not her. As Ellie chewed on the remains of her fourth smore, she swallowed the piece she had in her mouth and cleared her throat.

"Hey Joel?"  
He picked up his head, but his eyes never moved away from the flames. Ellie sighed but knew she had to say it before she lost her nerve.

"I'm sure Sarah was the luckiest girl in the world to have you for a father."

Joel's eyes blinked twice before looking over to Ellie who was twiddling her thumbs and biting the side of her lip. He sighed as he felt almost a feeling of relief wash over him. He knew that Ellie wasn't his daughter and never will be. But he had to admit, and only to himself, that he had begun to accept her as his own. He put his arm around her and gave her a small squeeze.

"Thank you baby girl."

Ellie didn't question it or even comment. They spent the rest of the night eating smore's until they felt sick. They talked about Ellie's comic books and she even cracked a joke from that stupid joke book Joel hated so much. It was one of the most peaceful nights that they had had in a long time and when they fell asleep and the fire smoldered out, Ellie curled up next to Joel and had made a promise to herself that she wasn't going to let him die on her. She wasn't going to lose anymore people who cared about her.


	10. Fixing The Car

"Try turin' it again!"

The engine sounded dead but there was still some spark left. Ellie turned it hard in the ignition but with not much better luck than the first five times she's tried. She poked her head out of the driver's window, where Joel was standing back.

"It's not working!"

Joel sighed as he watched Ellie jump out from the car to help him push towards another hill. At least it wasn't really that hot anymore. When they reached the top, Ellie jumped back into the driver's seat and waited for Joel to give the big push to she could try to start it up again. She gave him the okay and he pushed it down the hill. Ellie kept trying to turn it again and again, but they got the same dead muffled sound like before. When the car stopped rolling, Joel ran over to the Ellie's window and gave an annoyed sigh.

"So, unless we find another car with a decent battery, we're out of luck."

"Is the battery dead?"

"Nah… I don't think that's it…" he mumbled to himself as he went to the front of the car and lifted the hood.

Everything seemed to be in order. Nothing looked broken or out of place. The engine was a little rusty but it was a hell of a lot better than some of the other cars. But it couldn't hurt to tinker with it right? He would have to make sure there were enough spare parts lying around just in case something broke off on accident. He looked toward Ellie who was now sitting in the backseat reading the recent comic book she had found. He had thought about asking her to help him fix it, but she doesn't know a thing about cars and never will need to know anything about cars. The world was never going to be the same so why bother showing her stuff that won't ever matter. He told Ellie to stay in the car while he was gone and she waved him off like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. Joel rolled his eyes as he set forth examining the others cars in the area. He had found a few pieces here and there of things he was almost sure were going to break off from the engine when he tried messing with it. He found an old tool box and carried all of the parts within his backpack and box. When he had returned he saw Ellie sitting on top of the truck, looking up at the clouds. She heard his footsteps and pointed up to one of them.

"That one looks like an airplane."

Joel looked up and nodded in agreement. He set up everything around him and raised the hood of the car again. It wasn't until she heard the sounds of clinking metal that Ellie sat up and saw the top of the rusted car propped up.

"What are you doing?"

"Tryin' to see if I can't make this thing run better or at least start up without dyin' all the time." He said loudly so his voice would go over the hood for Ellie.

The cars weight shifted to the side as Ellie jumped down and walked to next to Joel with a curious look on her face, but that face turned into confusion when she saw the various shapes, sizes, and colors of all the parts that under the hood of this car. She raised an eyebrow and looked up to Joel.

"What the hell is all this stuff?"

"It's what makes up the engine to keep the car runnin'." Joel replied without looking.

"I figured that," Ellie rolled her eyes, "I'm saying; why the hell do you need all of this? Does it really have to be that complicated?"

"I don't know how it all works Ellie; I just know enough to keep it from breaking down."

She nodded her head silently as she watched his rough and cut up hands go from the car, to the tool box, and to one of the spare parts he wanted to replace with an old one. It was interesting to her. Maybe because it was something so complicated and yet useless to her at the same time. But she was Joel knew a thing or two about these or else they would've been walking a lot more. She started whistling until Joel turned to her with a slightly annoyed look with made her stop whistling and look back at the engine.

"Hey, can you teach me how to fix it?"

"You wanna know how to fix an engine?"

"Yeah, I mean why the hell not right?" She grinned.

Joel hesitated for a moment. The last thing he needs her to do was break something that he couldn't replace. But as long as he guided her and she listened, it shouldn't be too bad, right? He shrugged and handed her the wrench he was working with and they switched sides. She looked almost excited as he pointed to the things she needed to tighten or loosen to remove. He taught her the names of things and what they were meant to do for the car. She absorbed every word like a sponge as she would replace parts and study what they looked like. Once Joel felt like that was enough tinkering, he instructed Ellie to try and get it running again. He packed all the tools and threw the rusted parts aside while she sat in the driver's seat, waiting for Joel to give her the okay. He gave her thumbs up and Ellie turned on the ignition. It spitted a little and gave the same dead sound a few times, which made both of them worry, but on the hard twist and the car sputtered to life with a loud roar. Ellie looked behind her with a big smile on her face while Joel nodded his head and made her scoot over to the passenger seat as he put it in drive and drove the small town. Ellie propped her elbow up on the side and looked back up at the clouds while Joel drove along in silence.

"You know what? You should teach me how to drive one day." She turned to him suddenly.

Joel chuckled as he shook his head.

"The last thing I need for you to do is wreck the only workin' car left in the world."

"I didn't mean right now stupid; when this is all over and I save mankind." She responded with confidence.

"Yeah ok, if you somehow manage to save the world, I will personally teach you how to drive." He laughed.

"You promise?"

This made Joel look over to Ellie who had hopeful eyes. He hesitated at first. She was so determined about getting to the Fireflies and acted so much older; he forgot how old she really was. She was started to remind him of Sarah. But why did that make him feel sad? He shook the thoughts away from his head and half smiled at her.

"I promise."

They drove all through the night with the radio on low and Ellie asleep in the passenger seat, dreaming of cars and how everything was going to better once they found the Fireflies.


	11. Seperate Ways

**Once again for like the tenth time, thank you for all the support and love :)**

**Now here's the next drabble :)**

**I own nothing.**

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She was tired of him telling her later. Later, later, later. He was never going to say it outright. He was always going to avoid the subjects. She knew that they were fighting about her. She knew that Joel was going to get rid of her. It was understandable; why would he want to keep the person who became a burden on him? Why would keep the one person who ended up killing probably the only woman he's ever loved since his wife? Why would he keep someone that was only going to remind him or his daughter? Ellie paced around as she kicked the same rock over and over again; trying to find something else to think about other than the way Joel had looked at her before she walked off. He looked upset, but there was something in his eyes that made her think otherwise. She kicked the rock hard as it rolled away into a bush. Why was this making her so mad?

"Fuck!" she shouted to the air as she kicked another rock.

He was going to leave her. He was going to abandon her just like everyone else. She could feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks but she wiped them away roughly. Fine, if he wanted to get rid of her so badly, she'll just do it for him. She walked over to where Tommy's people were keeping the horses. No one was around as she looked over one of the horses. She pets its long face and moved her hand along its side as she walked next to the saddle. As she pulled herself up on the horse, she pulled on the reigns and trotted out of dam site. But someone had seen her and pointed at her.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Ellie looked back and kicked the side of the horse, making it run faster out of the area. She could hear them yelling but they soon faded into the blowing wind that was going past her ears. She wanted to be away from there. She could feel tears coming down again, but she wiped them away.

"Don't start crying Ellie. Don't you start crying…" she told herself as she galloped further into the forest.

She didn't know where she was going or where she was going to end up. The horse kept running in whatever direction it pleased, going through smaller paths and gliding across small ponds. When she passed through what looked like various tree houses, she saw heads poke out from the corners and the glint of silver from guns bounce off the from the sunlight. She urged to go faster as they began taking shots at her. The horse started sprinting from the sound of the shots, making the small girl hold on tighter to the reigns. They managed to get out of there without a scratch or bullet wound. The horse kept running until Ellie saw a ranch house from the corner of her eye. She slowed the horse down gently as it slowly trotted over to the house. It was still in good shape, with the foundation still sturdy and a whole roof over it.

Ellie tied up the horse and walked inside. She was quiet at first, making sure that no one was hiding in there. But there were no creaking wood planks or the feeling of another person in the house. Just wind blowing through the empty halls. Ellie walked around the first floor absently. Once she knew she was safe, her mind wandered back to the one person who has been with her for the past few months. What did she do wrong? She did everything he said and never argued… that much. But shouldn't be a reason to just drop her like a rock right? Was everything that happened between them all in her mind? Was he just faking everything?

"But… that doesn't make sense…" she said to herself as she walked up the old staircase.

If he didn't care about her, why did he try and teach her how to swim? Or how to shoot the rifle right? Or when he risked his life to find her things for a newly discovered lady days? What if it was all just because he had to and not because he wanted to? But then… what about the night they danced to that song on the jukebox? And when he let her try smore's for the first time? That all couldn't have been just because he had to. He had to have cared about her at least a little bit right? As she got to the top step, she started wandering through the many different rooms that house had. They looked intact, just messy and covered in a layer of dust. It looked as if the family just got up and left without a word to anyone.

"You can't just abandon me like that Joel…" she sighed as she closed one of the doors.

It wasn't the fact that he wanted to get rid of her that was the problem. She got it; she messed up his life even more by just strolling in and killing his friend. But if he was going to just give her off to someone else, then he shouldn't have let her get close to him. He should've kept his distance from her. Then she remembered what Maria was telling her about Joel's daughter, Sarah. She had sort of known who she was, but she didn't know that she had died at her age. But at least she died human… yet that thought didn't comfort her like it did for everyone else she lost, even if she didn't know Sarah directly. He must've seen Sarah in Ellie. But Ellie wasn't Sarah; she was able to take care of herself. She knew how to handle a gun and since she couldn't get infected, it was like a bonus. So if he was worried about her safety and thought that giving her to someone would guarantee that safety, then he couldn't be any more wrong. She wanted to stay with him. She was used to him, and could honestly admit to herself, she had grown attached to him.

When she opened the room at the end of the hall, it was a girl's room. It glowed golden pink from the setting sun. Clothes and the usual debris covered the floor. Old posters of movies and teen singers were peeling off the walls, while stuffed animals on the made bed and sitting space next to the window. Ellie rolled her eyes as she looked around. It was strange to think that this was what girl's spent their time thinking about. She saw a book on the nightstand next to the bed and picked it up. But she didn't want to read it yet. Her mind was still too clouded from everything. Joel wanted her gone. But she wanted to stay. She felt safe with him. She felt fearless with him around. Maybe she it was better to read this girl's diary; clear her mind for a little bit. As she read through the pages, she made a look of confusion. Again, was this really all girl's worried about back then?

"Ellie?" she heard someone call her from downstairs.

She had grinned to herself. It was only a matter of time before Joel would come chasing after her. Those men from back at Tommy's must've said something. She didn't say anything at first. When she heard him call her name again, she responded and waited for him to come up the stairs.

"Time to face the music…" she said quietly as she heard the door slowly open.

* * *

He had told her that they were going to go separate ways. Joel didn't want to, but he knew that she was going to be better off with Tommy. He knew everything better and would probably get her there faster. Yet as they cleared the way from the men that followed them from before, and were getting back on the horses, watch her walk away from him without a second glance, made his heart sink. She looked down the entire time they were riding back to Tommy's. As he followed behind, he realized something that he knew that his brother would never understand. No matter how he looked at it, he had taken responsibility for her. He had found something new to fight for; and he wasn't going to let that go.

As they both rode away from Tommy's after Joel told him what he needed to do, it was quiet before Ellie spoke.

"Hey Joel? Sorry for running off."

"That's ok Ellie." He responded as he felt her hand grip the back of his shirt.

They weren't going to go separate ways; and both of them were completely content about that.


	12. Night Time Stories

**Alright, a new chapter for one and all. :)**

**This is one is a little more short and sweet but I think it has its moments!**

**Enjoy :)**

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"Come on Joel, one more!"

"Ellie, just go to sleep."

"Please?"

Joel sighed as he turned to his side to look at his wide awake companion.

"Fine; one more."

Ellie smiled wide as she skimmed through pages of her joke book that Joel had been trying to make her get rid of for weeks now.

"Why did the cookie go to the hospital?"

"I don't know; why?" Joel asked as he yawned.

"Because he felt crummy." She said as she giggled.

Joel rolled his eyes as he turned back around.

"Ok that's enough now; now try 'n get some sleep."

But Ellie just kept looking through the pages of the book as she tried to find one that would make Joel at least chuckle a little bit.

"How about this one; why couldn't Dracula's wife go to sleep?"

"Ellie—

"Come on, this is the last one, I promise."

"Alright… why?"

Ellie tried to stifle her laughter.

"Because of his… coffin."

This made Joel chuckle a little as he sat up. This made Ellie raise a fist in victory as she put the book back in her backpack. Joel stared into the glowing fire, his face looking like he was thinking hard about something. Once Ellie had gotten comfortable, she watched him to see if was going to make a different movement. But he sat there in the same position for what seemed like forever. It wasn't until he had felt the pair of emerald eyes seep into the side of his head did he move his head.

"What?"

"What are you thinking about?" Ellie asked as she scooted closer, ready for a long story.

Joel just shook his head as looked away from the fire and up to the star filled sky. Ellie rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky with him. He would never really explain what was on his mind to her. It was a peaceful with only the chirping of the crickets and the sounds coming from their horse being their soundtrack for tonight. Ellie waited for him to say something but he just started looking off into space while started whistling to get his attention. Joel heard her in the back of his mind but he didn't make any movements. Ellie snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality.

"You ok there, Joel?" Ellie chuckled.

Joel just nodded as he ran both hands in his hair. Ellie looked at him curiously. Something was really bothering him tonight, but he would never say what it was. He never talked about things form his past to Ellie; whether it was from it being too painful, or that fact that he just didn't want to tell her, she would never know. But when he looked back up, he spoke.

"I guess my mind is stuck 'n the past." He kept eyes on the fire.

"Hm, like what?"

"Things before all this; work, makin' sure Sarah was asleep on time…" his voice drifted off.

"Sounds boring; but I guess that was ok then huh?"

"'Was better than sleepin' outside and tryin' to survive every day." Joel shrugged.

"What was that like?" Ellie asked as she walked back to her sleeping bag and lying down with her elbow propped up.

Joel looked at her as she was ready for a bedtime story. Normally, Joel would just blow her off and not talk about it, but this night was different. He just started talking. He talked about memories he had from twenty years ago; about his job, about how close he and his brother before, camping hiking, and Sarah. Ellie never interrupted, but her ears became more alert when she heard him say her name. He was just talking about her; freely. It wasn't anything bad though; he focused on the things that made him happy about her. Like, how he finally admitted that she was the one who forced him to see that "dumb teen movie" as he had put it. He talked about how he was the best thing that was in his life at that time; he never said anything about his wife though. Ellie knew better than to ask about her; that was probably wasn't even thin ice, but a bottomless pit.

"Sounds like life were awesome then; being able to wake up without worrying about whether this was your last day." Ellie commented when Joel had stopped talking.

He looked down at her and saw that she was drifting off to sleep. He just nodded as he tended to the fire; the nights were starting to get cooler now that fall was creeping up on them.

"What's yours been like Ellie?" Joel asked suddenly.

"What? My life?" she picked up her head.

Joel shrugged. Why not ask her? He honestly didn't even know much about her other than that she was with Marlene and she has a smart mouth. The more and more he traveled with this little girl, the more interested he became in how she ended up here with him, trying to find the lost cause known as the Fireflies. She sat up from her sleeping bag and looked into the fire, just as Joel had and began telling her story. She told him about her parents and how she doesn't even remember their faces all that well. Their voices were a loud echo she couldn't pinpoint. She told him about everyone that she even encountered has left her or died. She told about the Zone she stayed in for awhile before finding Marlene. She mentioned someone named Riley, but when Joel saw the pain in her green eyes reflect off the flames of the fire, he didn't ask.

How they both drifted off to sleep that was strange. One minute, they were opening up, and soon Ellie was cracking more jokes to lighten the mood; the next they were both asleep. They didn't know when they started sitting next to each other that night, but the instant both of them fell asleep, Joel was sitting up against a tree, and Ellie was fast asleep, leaning against his shoulder. Ellie's dreams were calm that night, and whenever they started getting she would just grip onto Joel's arm, and suddenly everything was better.

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**I wish this was longer but I was in a really angsty mood when I wrote this so... that's what it ended up being. But I still like it and I hope you guys do too :)**

**Another chapter will be up soon :D**


	13. Getting Lost

**So for this being written at two in the morning, I'd say its pretty decent.**

**It's not the most fluffiest chapter I've written but I like the subtly of this one :)**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

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"Joel—

"I know where I'm goin' Ellie, just—just give me sec."

They were lost. Joel wouldn't admit for the life of him, but Ellie knew. The second she saw them pass that tree with the arrow stuck in it three times, she knew. She stayed on the horse, while Joel walked around on foot; he had needed to stretch his legs after riding for a few hours now. The city couldn't be too far now. But the forest was so damn thick! As Ellie watched him look around and see what path they should take next, Ellie looked down to the horse, trying to think of what to call him, since Joel never asked Tommy what his real name was; so a temporary one would have to do. It didn't take long for the forest to start thinning and revealing the city. Joel's face looked relieved as he looked over the crumbling building and deserted cars. Now all they had to do was find the University. That shouldn't be too hard right? Joel made scoot over on the horse as he took the reins and trotted into the city. It was quiet for the most part, minus the sounds of Runners moaning inside boarded up buildings and shops. Ellie looked over everything in amazement. No matter how many cities they've seen so far, they still looked interesting to her. Joel didn't pay much attention to her at the moment as he trying to figure out which way to go. When they came across four-way intersection, Ellie poked her head up from behind Joel's shoulder and pointed to the right.

"Go that way."

"What?" Joel chuckled.

"I'm serious, go that way."

"Do you even know where we're goin'?"

"University of Eastern Colorado, right? So maybe it's that way."

Joel gave her look and Ellie rolled her eyes in sync with her head.

"Look, you got us lost the last time. Let's just try my way. Trust me." She pleaded.

He looked toward the direction she was pointing in. It seemed safe enough and a more clearer path than the left. Joel sighed and pulled on the reins to signal to the horse to go right. He could almost hear Ellie smile as she poked her head up again to look around. What harm could it do right? It's not like they were going to get lost in here. It was a ruined city after all and should be easy to navigate, right? What could possibly go wrong?

This was a terrible idea.

A complete and utter terrible idea. Joel felt as if they were going around in circles the more and more he listened to Ellie's directions. He wanted to turn back the other way and go the way he was almost sure was right, but whenever he looked at Ellie's amazed and curious face, he just couldn't tell her no. As they passed many broken down and faded out shops, Ellie would read out whatever words she could make out from the partially torn papers or covered over with graffiti of the Firefly symbol. This made Ellie hopeful that they were going in the right direction. But Joel knew they weren't and was really starting to doubt that there were any Fireflies here. After going around the same building one complete loop, Joel tugged on the horse gently for it to stop.

"Ellie we've been goin' in circles now. Let's just go the way I know and get there faster."

"You just keep going the wrong way from what I tell you." Ellie tried defending herself.

"You wanna get to the lab right?"

Ellie nodded her head quickly.

"Well then, stop playin' 'round and get a move on."

She put her hands up quickly before grabbing into the back Joel's jacket when she felt her balance shift too much to the right. Joel nodded once and pulled the horse into the direction of where he thought and hoped the University would be located. As Ellie started reading the signs and posters again, she saw a name stick out in her mind from one of the posters; Callus. She thought it over in her mind as she tilted her head to get a better look at the horse's long face. She liked it.

"I know what we should call the horse since you forgot to ask."

"What is it?"

"Callus." Ellie said as she rubbed the side of the horse affectionately.

"Callus?" Joel said with a disgusted undertone.

"Yes Callus and if you have a damn problem with it, then too bad. That's gonna be the name, right Callus?" she called to the horse as if it was already official.

"What kind name—nevermind."Joel stopped himself; he knew there was going to be no use in arguing with her.

As they wandered down the empty roads and passed the rusted cars and old road signs, they finally found a sign that directed them to the University. Joel gave a small sigh of relief as he pushed forward. Ellie was quiet for a moment which made Joel wonder if she had fallen off without his knowledge. He turned back to see Ellie, who just deep in thought. She could feel his eyes on her and she looked up at him and immediately started asking questions.

"So this University… it's like a college right?"

"Yeah. People of all ages would go to different ones and study."

"Study? For what?"

"Things they wanted to be since they were kids."

"So there was more school?"

"Sometimes."

"Why in the hell would someone do that?"

"Depends I guess; there was also a lot of parties... and football."

"Football? The fuck is that?"

Joel chuckled as he started to see the school come into view. It was huge and still looked like it was in good condition considering.

"It was a popular game back 'n the day, where two teams would throw a ball around and get touchdowns." He tried to explain; it was actually hard to explain now that he thought about it. How long had it been since he had to explain it to someone?

"Oh cool. How do you play?" Ellie asked, slightly interested.

As the University came closer and closer into their view, Joel started explaining to her the game of football until they were at the gates. If there was ever time that Joel liked to remember, it was this moment because of the fact that it was so simple. Nothing dramatic happened. He didn't have to sneak around enemies or save Ellie from Clickers. They were just talking. And that was a beautiful thing.


	14. Injured

**Hello again :)**

**Sorry this one took some time but once again my amateur proof reader (my 13 year old brother) was being a butt and I got tired of waiting... plus work sucks and some stuff decided to blow in my face but whatever :D Writing helps everything.**

**Hopefully my own proofreading isn't that bad Dx **

**Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Tell me what you think!**

**Enjoy :)**

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"Ah shit. Get up get up get up." Ellie called out as she tried to lift him up.

They were safe for now, but that didn't mean Joel had to fall off the damn horse. Ellie could feel herself start to freak out. What was she supposed to do now? Where she supposed to go? Was he dying? How does she save him? Her mind was starting to go in circles as she tried to pull Joel back up, get him to say something, anything, but he wouldn't move.

"You gotta tell me what to do. Come on." She said as she tried to wake her companion.

"You gotta get up. Joel?" she started shaking him.

He wasn't responding and didn't seem to have any intention from moving from that spot. Ellie looked around frantically. What was she supposed to do? Those men were no doubt going to come looking for them, not to mention that Joel was still bleeding… a lot. She looked back down at him and then to the horse. There was no way she was going to be able to lift him up that high, hell she can't even get him to sit up. She felt something wet touch the palm of her hand. She lifted it quickly to see the glint of crimson. Shit, it was getting worse. She looked to the brown horse that looked black from the glint of the moonlight and coaxed her to lie down. Once the horse was settled, she dragged Joel onto its back and let the horse get up first before jumping on the saddle and pulled on the reigns for it to move while trying to apply pressure to Joel's wound. Ellie's eyes scanned over the area the horse was trotting towards, trying to find some place that they could rest in safety for the night. It felt like they had been looking for hours, with the university far behind them. The first house that had looked decent to her, she pulled the reigns and the horse moved faster until they were safely in the garage. Ellie slammed the door closed and quickly ran back to Joel's aid. His eyes kept fluttering open and closed and his breathing was slowly decreasing. But he was alive.

"E-ellie…" Joel strained.

"You're gonna be ok Joel, ok? You're gonna make it, you're make it." Ellie replied while struggling to get him off the horse gently.

They both fell to the ground hard. Ellie felt her elbow become bruised but that wasn't anything serious that wouldn't go away in a day or two. She kicked open the door that lead into the house and took off her jacket as she wrapped it tight around his wound as best as she could. It instantly became stained with blood. She realized that she couldn't move him right now or he could bleed out. She bit her lower lip in worry as she looked through both their backpacks for something she could use. She found two medical kits in Joel's pack and tore them open. She needed to find something to keep the wound from getting infected. She looked through the bags until she found a half bottle of rubbing alcohol. This was going to have to do. She poured some onto a dirty white cloth until it was almost soaked; her hands were shaking so badly. She had to save him… she had to.

"Ok Joel, this'll hurt but I promise I'll do my best." She told her unconscious companion.

She ripped open the bottom half of his shirt and immediately felt sick. His wound was horrible. Blood was everywhere, and the wound looked like a clean circle when the rod pierced his side. The blood kept pulsing out along with the skin being ripped and hanging in various places around the injury. Ellie felt like she was going to puke, cry, and have her heart break all at the same time. But she needed to be strong for him. She had to be strong for him now. She put the cloth over his wound and Joel's eyes immediately shot open and along with a yell of pain. She shut her eyes tight from the sound, but kept on trying to disinfect the wound the best she could while cleaning off the blood. When she felt like that was as good as it was going to get, she dug through the small kits again to find something to stitch it up with. When she found a clean needle, or as clean as something could be at this time, and a black thread, she burned the tip of the needle with a lighter in order to sanitize it; it something Marlene had showed her, in case something ever happened to her. She then tied the string miraculously through the hole of the needle, considering her only light was her flashlight. Ellie then grabbed onto Joel's hand and took a deep breath.

"I will try my best to go as fast as I can. Squeeze my hand if you need to ok?" she explained to him.

When he didn't respond she turned back to the wound quickly and began to work. When the still hot needle poked into the wound, Joel squeezed her hand hard, giving Ellie a slight jump. She didn't know that he was even conscious still. But that was a good sign at least. She worked in silence, except for the sound of Joel's winces in pain and the throbbing she felt from her hand every time he squeezed. The process was harder than she thought. She would sometimes run out of thread and had to stop, tie up that last end and start over. Every time she had to reinsert the needle, Joel would tense up again. He tried to hold in his pain but Ellie knew; she felt in all in her hand. After a while, she started telling her stupid jokes to calm him down, but after the tenth one she told, she didn't know if it was for more of his sake or hers.

When she was finally finished, she wrapped gauze and bandages around his wound, both front and back, she laid him down gently and watched him the rest of the night. She sat up against wall and pulled her loose bangs back with her hands and just stared at him. She watched his breathing, to see if the wound reopened, if she needed to change bandages. She didn't realize that she didn't get any sleep until the rays of morning light shined through the dusty windows of the garage. She blinked her eyes and they immediately felt like the hot needle. She then sat up to stretch her legs. The horse was kneeling down, asleep. When did the horse fall asleep? Ellie shook her head and looked back down to Joel. He was still in no condition to be moving, but they needed to. Those men from back at the University were no doubt looking for them and they needed to get as far away as possible. She slowly moved him onto the horse, sitting him up so the stitches wouldn't reopen. She opened the garage door and led the horse outside. It was starting to get colder; she could feel it through the thin long sleeve she had on. They were going to have to find some clothes later. Once they were on the road, Ellie kept searching for a house that could keep them protect from whatever winter was going to bring. It wasn't until she found a two story with a basement, when searched through it, did she decide to have them rest of the night. She changed Joel's bandages and put on a heavier coat for him. After that, she pulled out a mattress and laid him on it, so that way he wasn't on the cold floor. She could handle it for the winter. As he slept, Ellie checked outside the window and started seeing the first flutters on snowfall. It looked peaceful against the grey clouds, but also lonely.

"Looks like we're staying here until you're all better." She mentioned to Joel, which meant they were going to be stuck in this one spot all winter long… but she was going to be on her own. She was going to be alone for a while, while Joel's wound healed up.

And though she would never admit it to him, it scared the shit out of her.


	15. 20 Questions

**Ugh FINALLY I get this one out!**

**Hello again :)**

**I'm sorry that this took so long; life called, work called, and I had no time to get this one up, but I finally did so sorry for the wait!**

**Enjoy :)**

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For the first two weeks, Joel had some really good days… but also really bad ones. Ellie did her best in making sure he was warm enough, making sure he ate, and always checking his stitches while replacing bandages. On good days, Joel was able to speak, feed himself, swallow the pain medication, But on bad days… Ellie shudders at the thought of those. But there is no reason she should be thinking about that. Today is one of Joel's good days. While he still couldn't sit up, he was at least able to talk to her. Things were quiet now that he was bed ridden. No constant reminding her of where they needed to go, or his constant worry about her gun having the safety on. When Ellie finally returned with a few rabbits for dinner tonight, she immediately set up a small fire and once again looked over Joel's wounds. It was starting to swell but it looked like it was healing; very damn slow but healing all the same. After changing his bandages, she tended to the fire and started making preparations for cooking their dinner, which was starting to become smaller and smaller from the increasing snowfall they were getting each night. She kept making small talk with Joel as much as she could so that he wouldn't fall asleep on her again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she put the rabbits on sticks.

"I'm feelin' alright; better actually." Joel chuckled but soon regretted it.

Ellie sighed as she placed the rabbits over the fire and walked over to check on Joel's stitches. He was going to protest at first but after seeing Ellie's worried expression, he decided to leave it. The stitches didn't look like they ripped open, giving Ellie a feeling of relief. They weren't really doing that well on medical supplies anymore, so Ellie tried her damn hardest to use them as little as possible. But there was still a long winter ahead, and they weren't going to last forever. Ellie was going to have to search other houses when Joel is ok to be alone. When she could smell the smell of cooked meat, she went back to the rabbits and pulled them up from the fire. They were a little burnt but it was better than nothing. She put them on top of a plate that she had cleaned earlier and cut up one of the rabbits so Joel would have an easier time eating. Since his injury, Ellie had to start feeding him, since he couldn't sit up and any kind of sudden movements would reopen the stitches. Joel always felt embarrassed having to always have Ellie help with almost everything lately, but she always had solid points, plus that look she always gave him would always feel like a mother scolding her child. She used the stick that cooked the rabbits to poke into the meat and feed him. He chewed in small bites while Ellie took bigger ones so that she could keep feeding Joel his pathetic excuse for a dinner. They were quiet as they ate with only the howling of the winter wind and the crackling of a warm fire as their soundtrack for tonight. When they finished, Ellie threw the bones next to the fire and sat next to Joel on the floor. He turned his head slightly to see her digging through her backpack for something. When her eyes lit up, he knew she had found whatever she was looking for. In her hands was a beat up composition book with a broken spine and the cover ripped off. She looked through the pages until she found the one she was looking for, which was bent and crinkled in the corners.

"What's your favorite color?" Ellie suddenly asked with her eyes still glued to the notebook page.

"My what?" Joel coughed; this had to be the most normal question he was asked in years and it almost seemed bizarre.

"Your favorite color; I found this when I was looking through houses for supplies. It only had two pages written on it. One explaining what this was and the other were filled with questions to ask; Look." Ellie explained as she flipped to the pervious and read out loud.

"_If you found this, I'm probably dead but that ok, I guess. Seeing as though you're probably travelling with someone that you probably don't know anything about I've compiled a list of questions that you two, or however many of you there are, to ask each other. Hopefully it brings you guys closer to each other in these horrible times. Have fun; Signed, Alex." _

When she finished, she went back to the page with all the scribbled questions, and looked over to Joel waited for his answer. He actually had think about this one? What was his favorite color twenty years ago?

"Dark green I guess." He finally said.

Ellie gave him a weird look but shrugged as she read through the page to ask another question.

"What do… or did you do for fun?"

Once again, Joel had to think about this one. Before all of this, he really didn't do many fun things; he had to work a lot in order to keep a roof over his and his daughter's head. The only thing he ever did was play his guitar, or teach Sarah how to play. Anything else was whatever she wanted to do, which were sometimes things he always never understood why he agreed.

"Play my guitar."

"Figures; by the way you still have to sing to me since I got you out of that place alive." Ellie smiled as if she was stating an order not a request.

"You wish." Joel said, chuckling lightly, trying not put himself in pain.

Ellie rolled her eyes and looked back to page, but felt Joel's rough hand on hers. She looked over to him as he then moved his hand to the notebook and took it from her. He read through the questions quietly before picking one to ask Ellie. She shouldn't be the only one asking things.

"What are some things that make you happy?" He asked as he read it from the page.

That was an odd one to ask, considering the circumstances they were always in, but still she sat there and thought about it. They were little things that no one else would think to be something that could make someone happy.

"Things that make me happy…" Ellie repeated, "Shooting stars, the smell of rain… fireflies, the bugs not people… my comic books… that's all I can really think of." Ellie raised up her hands in defeat; so much for a nice long list.

Joel could feel the sleep creeping over him as his eyes started to feel heavy. But he shook his head, trying to keep himself awake; He didn't want to leave Ellie up by herself again. He then looked for another question to ask. Ellie answered it and then took the book away from Joel to ask her questions. They did this rotation for what felt like hours, but it kept them talking and smiling a little. Some questions Ellie didn't understand, such as the one about where this guy named Waldo was, but Joel did, giving him a good chuckle at Ellie's confused expression. They found a lot about each other that to some, didn't seem like it was worth knowing, like what their favorite animal was, or if you could be anything, what would you be, but to them, it was the best thing in the world to them; even if they didn't say it out loud. For once, they didn't worry about Infected or if they needed to leave in the dead night or if they were going to wake up and see a Clicker standing over them. For once, they were able to sit and talk and laugh and know something that didn't know before about each other. For once, they were Joel and Ellie, the humans not and Joel and Ellie the survivors. As the final flames of a fire smoldered away, Joel was fast asleep with the book ton his chest, and Ellie asleep on her backpack, curling up to the side of Joel's mattress as best as she could.

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**Even though this felt shorter than my others I did love the fluff in this one :) **

**I hope you guys did too!**

**Reviews are always nice! :D**

**Until next time, yes? :D**


	16. Hewie

**Finally! I have been trying for DAYS to get this out but everything kept getting in the way. I'm literally uploading this from a school computer, so it's good to have my things in order xD **

**Again so sorry this took so long to upload but, I am back now and trying my best to keep updating. And now without further delay here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy :)**

**P.S. Sorry if this is littered with errors but again I am trying my best and I will go back and fix it if need be**

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The winter was starting to make hard hits on Joel and Ellie. Trying to find food in the deep snow was almost impossible. Ellie could barely catch anything for it would either run away or her fingers would become so numb that they would start to hurt. Anything she caught usually went to Joel first. She would sometimes go for days without eating before she managed to get enough for the two of them. On top of that, Joel's injury was starting to take a turn for the worst; it was starting to swell and change to a deep purple. Ellie couldn't tell if it was just going to be a nasty bruise of frostbite. Either way, Joel's health started going down; he could barely stomach anything anymore unless Ellie mashed it up until it was just dry slob. They ran out of medicine a week ago, and she knew needed to find some fast. But there were no other houses for miles. Ellie tried her best to keep Joel alive but it was starting to look bleak now.

It was colder today with light snow falling from the grey sky. Ellie left Callus tied up on a nearby tree so she could hunt. So far the only things she's caught were a squirrel and a small rabbit. Ellie cursed in frustration as she missed one of the squirrels in a tree because her aim was thrown off by the cold wind. She brought her hands to her mouth and blew on them, trying to keep them warm. She wondered how Joel was doing. She put extra blankets on top of him to keep him warm, but she knew she should probably head back soon. She slung her pathetic catch over her shoulder and started walking back to Callus. But she suddenly heard a heavy shift crunching of snow. Ellie turned her head quickly and looked around. Was that an animal? She hadn't seen any kind of human life for weeks now. She picked up her bow and started walking straight, looking down at the snow. She saw the tracks formed in the virgin snow and a smile formed on her chapped lips. Finally, something for dinner, she thought to herself as she started following the tracks, suddenly forgetting for how cold she was.

"…Where are you?" she asked quietly to the wind.

It seemed like she had been following the tracks for miles. She started walking slower to quiet her footsteps, thinking that she might be scaring it off. She stayed crouched behind a hill of fresh snow, waiting to hear something. When the first sounds of crunching snow reached her ears, she quickly stood up, bow ready to fire as she pulled it across her cheek. But what she saw wasn't what she expected. He practically blended into the snow if it weren't for his black beady eyes and a few dirt spots. She also noticed some dried blood near his legs. He stared at her with his tongue hanging out looking almost happy. She wouldn't have given it second thought, if it were for caramel collar with gold plating. She lowered her bow and put the arrow back in her quiver. This was probably someone's dog. So much for a nice big dinner Ellie sighed to herself as she slung the bow over her shoulder. She turned to walk back to Callus; back to Joel so she could make him something to eat. But the dog whined and she heard the crunching snow move closer to her. She looked behind her to see the dog following her. It had its ears hanging low and it continued to whine. Ellie squatted down to get a better look it. For one thing, she immediately noticed it was a boy.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she asked him as she reached a hand out to pet him but retracted, afraid it might actually be hostile.

But the dog moved closer to her hand as it closed his eyes moved his head, making her pet him. Ellie smiled and ran her fingers through his surprisingly soft coat. He felt extremely warm minus the cold weather. She scooted closer to him and started to lightly scratch behind his ears.

"What's your name boy?" Ellie asked as she looked down at his collar.

In big block letters on the gold plate, the name "Hewie" spelled across it. Ellie smiled again as she pet his head again. She thought the name was a little funny but somehow it fit him perfectly.

"Hewie huh? Well hi there Hewie, mine's Ellie." She greeted quietly.

Hewie responded to her touch, as if he hadn't felt the touch of a human in years. But he seemed well groomed and healthy, given the circumstances. Ellie would've stayed there petting him if the cold wind hadn't picked up and surged through the openings of her sleeves, or if her stomach didn't growl so loud it could attract a horde of Clickers. Her small smile faded as she took her hands away from Hewie's warm fur and wrapped them around her stomach. She was starving; she hadn't eaten in three days now. But there was always only enough to feed Joel and she wasn't about to let him go hungry, especially in his condition. She heard Hewie whine, sounding almost worried for her. The lack of food was starting to get to her head.

"I don't suppose you could find me something to eat." She chuckled to herself; as if he was really going to understand her.

But as if on some magic word, Hewie's ears perked up, moving his head left and right, making Ellie give him a strange look as he suddenly backed away from her and darted to the left. She immediately jumped to her feet and took off running after him.

"H-hey where are you going?!" she yelled at him as she tried to catch up.

The air was ice cold as it whipped past her numb cheeks. Where the hell was he going? It was getting difficult to see him as his white coat started to blend in with the snow; at least there were tracks she could follow. When she finally saw his outline staying still, she slowed to a light jog. Hewie stood very still in the tall snow, staring intensely at whatever was up ahead. Ellie's eyes moved up in the direction Hewie was looking. Up ahead was a doe and a rather large one at that. Ellie didn't hesitate to draw her bow with the arrow close to her cheek. She steadied her aim and took a slow deep breath. There was no way in hell she was going to let this once get away. She slowly exhaled and fired, shooting the doe straight in the side of her neck, making her fall limp instantly. Ellie let out a small laugh of victory as she ran toward her newly acquired food. There was enough meat to last them for a few days. Ellie started making room in her backpack in order to fit as much as possible. As she cut the doe and started to put pieces in her backpack with some of the clothes she had packed in there, she looked to the side of her to see Hewie sitting next to her staring with his beady eyes and tongue hanging out happily, as if he knew he did a good job.

"Thanks Hewie; Good boy." Ellie smiled as she pet his head.

The dog closed his eyes, enjoying the small amount of praise and human contact, until Ellie started working on taking more pieces of meat into the backpack. Hewie watched her curiously as she cut up the animal and moved the pieces onto scraps of cloth she had laid out and then move them into her pack as she finished tying them up. When she got all that she could carry, her eyes wondered over to her newly found companion who was staring intently at the meat, yet still waiting patiently. Poor thing, he must be starving. She motioned one of her numb hands over to the doe.

"Go ahead and eat some; I'm not taking anymore."

Hewie sniffed the meat cautiously before he immediately started ripping it apart. Ellie eventually looked away, for the sight was starting to make her feel nauseated. Skinning the animal was one thing. Hell even the disfigured Infected were another thing. But watching something get ripped apart wasn't something Ellie's stomach could handle. She pulled her jacket closer to her small body while watching her breath come out like smoke. She looked up and saw the sun setting. It was starting to get late and she needed to get back to Joel soon. Even the thought of him looking so weak was starting to become heartbreaking; he needed her now more than ever and she'd be damned if she wasn't there. Maybe she could even have Hewie tag along with her. They could go hunting and he could be the one she could talk to, even if all he would do was hang his tongue out or just stare, she didn't care; she was just tired of the silence and shallows breaths.

A twig snapped loudly from the left, making both Ellie and Hewie's heads perk up. Her hands twitched for her bow and an arrow from her small quiver, while Hewie looked away from his meal and stood on all four legs. There wasn't another sound except for the crunching of ice beneath someone's feet. It had to a human. The steps were too calm and definite. No Clicker could walk that straight. Damn, these guys suck at the element of surprise; they would never be able to catch something, Ellie snorted. Better not stick around to see what they wanted or what they might be after.

"Come on, let's get out of here Hewie." She said quietly.

She stood up slowly, bow in hand, and backpack slung securely over both shoulders, and took steps backward before hearing another branch break and sending her bow up, with an arrow ready to strike.

"Who's there?" She called out.

When she heard no response, she rolled her eyes and stretched the bow further. Now they want to try and stay quiet.

"I know you're there you fuckers, now come out!"

She was staring so intensely at the direction the noises were coming from that she didn't notice Hewie move to her side, ears down and bearing his teeth. Two men appeared from behind the thick trees, guns lowered but still ready to fire.

"Come on little girl don't be stupid. Put down your weapon and we can talk about this like mature adults. What do ya say, huh?" one of them spoke with a deep voice.

They were both big guys with heavy jackets, jeans, and snow boots strapped tightly onto their huge feet. One had a dark red beanie while the other had a black one, covering his ears. Both of their noses were cherry red from the winter cold while snowflakes kept getting caught on the side of their beanies. They looked like joke; but Ellie knew better than to underestimate her enemies, especially without Joel to tell her so.

"Fuck that you guys drop yours!" Ellie shouted back, keeping her bow steady and switching between the two men as they inched closer.

"Look, we don't like hurting women or children, especially a pretty little thing like you," one of them commented looking over Ellie with a perverted gaze, making her point the arrow in his direction, "So just hand over your shit and you can walk away in one piece."

"Take one more fucking step and this will end up right between your eyes." She warned when she saw the man with the perverted stare raise his foot.

"I wouldn't try anything smart you little bitch." He sneered, "You probably don't even know how to use that fucking thing."

He lunged for her and Ellie shot with no hesitation, hitting him right between the eyes just like she told him. He fell back on the ground with a loud thud as anger rose in his friend as he held up his weapon and started shooting.

"You'll pay for that bitch!" he yelled over the gun fire.

The shots were loud and bounced off the dead trees, resonating in the cold open air. Ellie's ears starting ringing as she turned to run away, her feet barely missing the bullets that would penetrate the snow. She wouldn't have enough time to grab an arrow and counter and she didn't have another weapon aside from her switchblade, which was now the stupidest idea she could've come up with. As she kept on running, the gunfire kept going rapidly behind her, trying to land a good shot when suddenly came a yelp of pain and snarling. Ellie turned her head slightly over her shoulder to see Hewie on top of the man, his teeth sinking into his shoulder. He twisted and turned violently, trying to get the dog off of him, but it only made him hold tighter. Blood splattered across the white snow and Hewie's fur. She smiled in relief; she was really starting to like him and he seemed like a really well trained dog. Whoever his previous owner was did a damn good job. It wasn't long before she heard the sound of four legs rushing to catch up to her. Hewie's face was covered in the strong smell of crimson; well, at least they didn't need to worry about them, but there might have others. They needed a place to hide for now, but where? There wasn't anything around for miles. Hewie then suddenly started to pick up the pace, now running in front of her with a purpose. Can dogs run with a purpose? Either way, it seemed like he knew a place to go and Ellie close behind even though her legs burned and her chest was feeling like it was going to burst. A cabin finally came into view and Ellie finally slowed down to walk while trying to catch her breath. It didn't look like anybody was in there and also looked like it had been abandoned for months now. Hewie also slowed and turned his head to her as if, checking to see if she was alright. She smiled at him as they continued walking towards the cabin. As they walked onto the snow covered porch, Hewie pushed open the door and walked inside as if he owned the place. Ellie dug into the side pocket of her backpack and turned the small flashlight as she poked her head inside. Apart from what was left of the natural light, the inside of the cabin was dark with the winter wind howling through the open holes of the small wooden cabin. Along the floor were some both opened and empty cans of various foods, two handguns with empty ammo boxes torn apart next to them, and there were a few med kits scattered about the empty dusty floor. All of this would probably help Joel out for at least another few weeks. She reached out for one of the kits but quickly retracted when her flashlight shined over a body. It was the body of a young woman, wrapped up in many blankets. Her eyes were closed and her light blonde hair was tied up in a low ponytail, similar to Ellie's. She must be Hewie's owner; better not wake her, Ellie thought to herself.

She put down her backpack and sat down against the wall adjacent to the sleeping woman. Her body felt sore and freezing. She put her hands to her mouth and blew out air in order to slightly warm them up. Not too far away, she could hear Hewie's padded footsteps pace back and forth. Do dogs pace? Ellie turned to watch him and saw him push something towards her with his nose. It was some of the med kits that were scattered on the floor as well as a half bottle of painkillers. She raised a tired eyebrow; this was a damn smart dog. What the hell did he and his owner go through to make him this way? He seemed too smart and very protective. She kept that thought to herself as she reached over and pulled the items closer to her, while looking them over.

"Don't you think she'll get mad at you for giving these to me?" she asked quietly while moving her head in the direction of the sleeping girl.

She was starting to feel silly for talking to this dog like he could understand the human language; like he was a human himself. Hewie turned his head to look over his owner and his drooped to the sides while he lowered his head and his tail slowly stopped wagging. He walked over to his owner and nudged her with his nose, trying to get her up, but she remained sleeping. He whined quietly as he starting licking her face but still the woman made no movements; she just remained there like a cold porcelain doll. Ellie's brows furrowed as she scooted closer to the woman. Maybe a bright light would do the trick. Ellie turned on her flashlight and shined it around her face. Still nothing; Ellie then kept the light still and focused on her face and immediately her heart dropped. Dark circles were formed perfectly around her eyes, while her pale cheeks looked sunken in, making her look much older then she probably was, and lips were blue and perfectly frozen over. Ellie's shocked eyes followed down over the blankets, hoping that maybe she wouldn't be right for once. But they were still, with no rising or falling from her chest, except for the edges that moved slightly with the wind. She felt one of her cold cover her mouth as she stared down at the now sad Hewie, who had nestled himself down next to his owner, looking as if he was trying to give her warmth. Hewie's owner was dead and probably has been for a while now. Ellie sat back and let out a sigh of disappointment. Poor girl; poor Hewie, who probably either didn't know or didn't want to believe it. She put her flashlight down next to her and noticed a piece of paper lying on the other side of the girl. Ellie reached and grabbed the paper, while putting back a piece of frosted covered hair as she read it.

"_If you're reading this, then I guess the winter was just too cold for me, even with the fire. My illness keeps getting worse and worse with every passing day and maybe I can finally be in peace. Also, if you're reading this, then either Hewie had let you in or is gone now… Either way if he is there, he is a good dog and loves to be praised. Please take whatever I have left and try to take Hewie with you. He deserves to live a little bit longer." –Fiona_

Try? Ellie looked down at Hewie who honestly didn't look like he was going to leave Fiona's side, even if his life depended on it. She felt a little sad as she sat up and put the medical supplies into her backpack that now smelled of raw meat. She was going to have to find another one soon. She wanted him to come with her. He could help with hunting and scouting out supplies for Joel and she was sure that he wouldn't mind having a dog around. She stood up and slung the backpack over her shoulders, while looking down at him, who seemed to have scooted closer to Fiona.

"So I guess you're staying here then?" she asked him.

Hewie looked up with sad eyes as he whimpered and whined, while looking over his owner. He wasn't going to leave her. He couldn't leave her and Ellie understood that perfectly. She squatted down to give Hewie one last pat on the head. He turned immediately in response to the touch and licked the side of her face, making her chuckle.

"You be a good boy Hewie." She scratched the back of his ears and stood back up as she walked toward the door and walked in the quiet snowfall.

She needed to get back to Joel and fast. She had been gone for too long. She then pushed herself off the wooden porch and took off running back in the direction she had come from. Luckily the tracks were still visible for her to follow back to Callus, who was waiting patiently for her still. She pet him on the face in apology and climbed on top of him as they rode back to their own safe house. She felt herself worry about Hewie and how much longer he would have before he too, passed away. Part of her wanted to force him with her and give him a chance to live and a new family. But she knew she couldn't do that. If Joel were to die in this winter, Ellie would probably stay behind as well. He was all she had left and knew that she would nowhere else to go, and more importantly, she would rather be with Joel's corpse than be alone. When they reached their safe house, Ellie locked up Callus and began working on dinner. Joel was fast asleep and still breathing, which looked more soundly than before. She did everything like normal, taking care of his wound and sitting him up to feed him. She wasn't going to let him die on her. She wasn't going to lose him like she lost everyone else.

"Thank you Hewie…" she whispered to herself as she continued to clean Joel's wound; he was going to be alright… she was going to make sure of it.

* * *

**This was more of a lengthy one, but I feel like it was needed and deserved for how long I made you guys wait.**

**"Finding Ellie" will be the next one updated I promise promise promise!**

**Also, the first to tell me where Hewie and Fiona come from, I shall write something for ya :D Anything you want (within reason of course Dx)**

**Reviews are always loved!**

**Until next time!**


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